In Search of One Good Woman
by inkheart9459
Summary: Regina and her ship The Rocinate are sent out for a regular patrol mission of the Border Planets. She doesn't think it will be anything too eventful, but is quickly proved wrong when they pick up a distress signal from one of their own ships whose life support system is about to give out.
1. Chapter 1

Hello again. So this story I wrote for the Swan Queen Big Bang. So it's been up on AO3 for like a month now and I'm just getting around to posting it over here. If it seems familiar that's why. Also in that vein over on AO3 Zinko has created some fucking awesome fanart that I'm still internally screaming over and you guys should go check it out. It's linked to this story over there so it's easy to find. And with that, complete story time.

* * *

Regina stared out the ship's front window, looking out at the far points of light, hundreds of stars and perhaps some galaxies shining. Close to her home world, she thought the stars always shined brighter, but perhaps that was just her own imagining and maybe a bit of familiarity. She had learned how to pilot her first ship in this system, had begun her trek up the command ladder to where she was today. A lingering fondness was natural.

"Captain, Lieutenant Commander Arenndale called up from the engine room. She says everything is charged and ready to jump," Commander Sherwood said.

Regina turned to look at the tanned woman. She nodded, indicating she had heard before considering her words. "Calculate the jump vectors then, Commander."

"Already done, ma'am. Everything is set up to jump at your command."

Regina took one last look out at the stars that were familiar to her. As soon as they jumped they would be light years behind them. She took a deep breath. She had joined Interstellar Directive for the adventure, but that adventure had been dampened for the last twenty or so years by the guilt of leaving Henry at home. This was her first long range mission in years. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

Henry was with her this time, probably still down in the bowels of the ship getting acquainted with his crewmates. Regina's heart twisted at the thought. Her little boy all grown up and a full-fledged Ensign. She never thought she would see the day.

"Well then, shall we?" She drawled, cocking an eyebrow.

The Commander nodded, returned to her station, punched in a few numbers, tapped on her coms to link to the Lieutenant Commander down in the engine room. Within a few seconds Regina could feel the engines vibrating the whole ship, powering up for the jump.

"Hyper jump will commence in T-minus sixty seconds. All personnel are advised to find a secure place to sit for their safety," a robotic voice chimed through the ship.

Regina returned to her station and strapped in. Jumps usually were fairly smooth, but sometimes when they went south, they went south in a big way. It was best to always be prepared in their line of work.

"T-minus thirty seconds."

Henry was probably jumping in his seat right about now about to experience his first real jump. The academy had taught him all about what went on and what it should feel like, but the real thing was completely different. Regina smiled at the image of Henry in her head, grinning widely with that look in his eyes he always had when he was excited, eyes crinkled in a way that mirrored hers so thoroughly that she couldn't deny the boy was hers through and through.

"Ten seconds."

"Well, this should be interesting," A voice said to Regina's right as a body flopped down in the chair right behind.

Regina looked over at Mal and stared. "And just where have you been Commander?"

Mal shrugged. "Around. Lily and I were talking about the new ships they brought on for this mission. She doesn't think they'll fly well and from what I've seen of them I have to agree with her."

Regina nodded at that. The things were overbalanced, built completely for power and nothing else. Fighter ships needed to be a harmonious mix of power, speed, and finesse in order to work properly. She understood the need for such powerful ships where they were going, but Interstellar Directive had really missed the mark in the designs.

"We'll just put them in the back if they are needed. Their new missiles are sensitive enough they won't hit our other ships." She'd already thought ahead when she'd seen the new things, knowing that it'd be a problem.

"Should we put the newbies in them or the more experienced fighters?" Mal asked.

The ship shot into hyper drive and for a second Regina's breath lodged in her throat. She never had gotten used to the feeling, even when she had been on a ship years ago that had jumped often. When the ship stabilized again she took a deep breath and shook off the weirdness.

"One minute until we hit our target, Captain," Marian said from her station.

Regina nodded once and turned back to Mal to resume their conversation. "Putting them in the new machines would keep them in the back and out of the way of most of the action, but at the same time if anyone came around in a pinscher maneuver they would be on the front line in ships not built for fighting. More experienced pilots could probably handle that, but I'm not so sure about the newbies."

Mal considered that for a moment. "But they would have the most training on them, especially the new grads, the academy would have made sure of that."

Regina tilted her head from side to side. "That is true, but I would feel better if they were in the middle of the formations we send out. They are not on either side and at risk of facing off against hostiles without a buffer, but they are still getting the experience of being out in the field."

"What if they think they're being babied and try to break ranks? It would cause more trouble than it would be worth, especially in the middle of a bigger conflict."

Regina arched an eyebrow, putting a great deal of menace in the expression. "Then they are disobeying direct orders from their superiors and they will no more see the inside of a cockpit again than I will ever see the Orgin. Being a pilot is a privilege, not a right. There are plenty of other jobs on this ship, including a great deal of janitorial duties."

Mal snorted. "Fair enough." She ran her hand through her blonde curls. "The Border isn't a place to be an idiot."

No, that it wasn't. The edge of the United Systems had always been wild and rife with unruly hostile species looking for resources or just for a fight, but her orders rang in her head. "Keep order by any means necessary," the Admiral of the Fleet had told her. Normal Border orders were to patrol and stop conflict when necessary. These orders had Regina on edge. Something was stirring, but the Admiral hadn't seen fit to tell her what exactly. Her knee jiggled just the slightest bit. Those orders and an entirely new crew, assembled from other ships for this mission, or top graduates from the academy. The best of the best, she had noted going through their files before she had boarded her ship, The Rocinante. It all added up to something not being quite right.

"Get one of the deck commanders to find someone who's flown those monstrosities to give their input on the beasts. Perhaps they aren't as a bad as we think."

"Uh huh, right, but I will get on that."

The ship jerked to a stop and Mal huffed out a cloud of smoke through her nostrils. Regina looked at her annoyed as a few other officers coughed, waving the smoke away. Mal just shrugged.

"Involuntary reaction," she said, but the smirk gave her away. There had been no need for the plume of smoke to be that big just out of a bit of shock and Mal knew that Regina knew it.

"Refrain from your more Draconian tendencies if you please. I would prefer the rest of us to be able to breathe on the bridge."

Mal mock saluted. "Of course, Captain."

"Get on with it now that we're out of hyper drive."

Mal unstrapped herself and hopped up. "Be back later then," she said as she disappeared.

"Call down to the engine room, Commander Sherwood."

"Already done, Captain, Lieutenant Commander Arenndale says the engines are holding steadying at 500 Kelvin and are ready for whatever you have in mind."

Regina squinted at that information. "Is she sure she took the measurements right?" After a jump like that engines should run around twice that. She was already prepared to go to half power to allow them to cool off before setting the patrol the perimeter.

"I asked her that as well. She assured me that she was right and the engines were indeed that temperature." The woman shrugged, a few pieces of her hair coming loose out of the regulation bun and curling gently around her deep tan face. "I double checked on the ship's mainframe. She is right unless something is malfunctioning, but there are no error reports."

Regina hummed. "Well then." She turned to the other side of the cabin. "Lieutenant Fa guide us into the prescribed patrol path then if you would."

The Asian woman nodded her head and took to her station, pushing a series of buttons quickly and the ship started to hum under their feet once more.

Regina tapped her ear and activated her comm link. "Commander Dracon."

"Yes, Captain? You realize you haven't let enough time elapse for me to get to the fly bay, let alone actually ask anyone any questions, right?"

She glared out of the front windows as the stars shifted them around them. "Yes, I am well aware, Commander. My call was not about that matter, but another one."

"Oh, well then, continue Captain."

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. If Mal was anyone else she would have already written them up for insubordination, but since she was her best friend she got away with a great deal more than she should. No one else was stupid enough to risk it so far and so she would let it stand.

"What do you know about Lieutenant Commander Arenndale?"

"Not much, from what I've overheard she's a wizard with engines, but that's all I really know. Anastasia might know more."

"Who?"

"Commander Rouge, the one in charge of personnel and quarters on the ship."

Regina nodded remembering the woman Mal was talking about. Seven new commanders in her command, all but twoi89 of them new on top of an almost new crew. Her head was buzzing with new names. But the small blonde with a rather high pitched voice was distinctive.

"I'll call her then. I don't remember the Lieutenant Commander's file saying anything about keeping an engine 500 Kelvin below what it should be. I need to make sure she isn't crippling our ship."

Mal whistled sharply. "Good idea, do that, I'll go talk to the flight deck people."

Regina clicked off the comm link and then clicked it on again. "Commander Rouge."

"Yes, Captain?" The woman's nasally voice came through loud and clear.

"Lieutenant Commander Arenndale, what do you know of her?"

There was a pause for just a second. "Ah, the engine prodigy, yes?"

"Is she?"

The Commander hummed. "Yes, engine specialist isn't quite a strong enough description for her, but that is all her file says. I haven't personally worked on a ship with her, but the crew who has before have been talking about her in light of the jump. Since we are moving once more at full speed, I take it the rumors were correct?"

"So it seems. Anything else that you know of her?"

"She asked to be bunked near Chief Warrant Officer Five Emma Swan. From what I was told she's not the girl's mother, but she might as well be."

"Chief Warrant Officer Swan…" she trailed off. The name struck a bell as one of the ones she had tried to memorize. "The chief of the flight deck?"

"Yes, that would be the one."

She was the one that she had commanded to personally fix Henry's fighter whenever he came back in from a mission then. Regina had the distinct impression that the woman had been rolling her eyes at Regina, even through the comm link. The woman could think what she wanted as long as she did her job and kept her little boy as safe as possible.

"I see. Did you grant that request?"

"There was no reason not to, so yes."

"Thank you for your input, Commander. If you could send me anything you can find about the Lieutenant Commander and Officer Swan, by end of day. I need to know what is going on, on my ship and that most certainly includes person who can keep the engine cooler than should be possible."

"I'll pull everything I can and send it by day's end. You already have their personnel files, yes?"

"I do, so anything in those is not necessary."

"Will do, Captain."

Regina clicked off her comm link again. She turned to Commander Sherwood. "This Lieutenant Commander is under your command, yes?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, but I know about as much as you do. She wasn't on any of the other ships I served on."

Regina hummed, indicating she had heard. "As Commander of the science division, any theories to how she did it?"

"Not one. The chemical processes involved in hyper drive propulsion should only work at a thousand k. As much energy as needs to be freed would need the high temperatures to drive the reaction as fast as needed."

"Well then." Regina ran her hand through her hair. A day into their new mission and already there were interesting occurrences. She could do without that. Boring in their jobs was a very good thing.

She went and sat down in her seat again. "Lieutenant Fa, are we on path?"

"Yes, Captain. We've just merged with the plotted course."

"Good." She hit the announcement button, turning the comm links of everyone in the ship on at once. "The ship is now on course. Everyone that was bunked for the jump, man your stations as normal. I expect nothing but the best from this crew and welcome to the start of our new mission." She clicked off again.

Regina spat out a rapid fire list of directions. With the engine situation dealt with until she had more information, the commands she had to issue were clear. This type of mission she had done a thousand times and they never changed. She relaxed back into her seat at the familiarity. If everything went her way this anomaly with the engine would be the only interesting thing on this trip and they would return to Noir Seven in a year's time no worse for the wear.

She chuckled once to herself humorlessly. Missions never actually went like that out here, but she could dream.

* * *

Regina flipped through the file of Lieutenant Commander Ingrid Arenndale reading everything over again once she handed off the command to Lieutenant Nova for the night. There were accolades in the file for how well the woman kept her engine room running. There was not an explanation of exactly how she managed to keep the engine under temperature, but with all the awards, it did not seem to be an odd thing anymore. She truly was the engine prodigy that Commander Rouge said she was. Well, that would probably be useful for later, but she had not appreciated the slight heart attack in the interim.

She massaged her temples. Whole new crews were a pain to deal with, but they were rather a reality in her world before this. She had gone on short missions after Henry was born so she could spend as much time at home as possible. The crew turn overs on those missions had been high, with people moving on to more exciting things or retiring from active duty at the end of every tour. The ships had been smaller, though, so getting a feel of the crew had been easier. With ten thousand people on board Regina had only bothered to read the files of the officers and the warrant officers and even then she had skimmed them at best. It was going to be a long process getting to know everyone well enough to make the ship run like a well-oiled machine. They did have a year, but out here they needed to be fully functioning quickly.

She shut the file on Ingrid and moved on to the one of Emma Swan. Now her file was much more interesting. There were a great many incidents of discipline in her early career, but yet her advancement was still steady even with those blemishes on her record. If Ingrid was Emma's mother then she had passed down whatever affinity she had for engines to Emma when she had raised her. Emma had brought back ships that should have been unsalvageable and made them work better than they had before. She had made the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Five before the age of thirty-five, which was almost unheard of. Her skills had rocketed her up the chain of command faster than normal, it seemed. Regina had contacted her to fix Henry's ship because she was the Chief of the flight deck, not because she had remembered this particular fact about the woman.

Regina tapped a few pieces of paper against her lip. At thirty-three she had been a Lieutenant Commander on a tiny repair ship for most of the year. It had been uneventful, but she had gotten to be home for Christmas and Henry's twelfth birthday. She would have never dreamed of being so high up the ranks at that age. Then again when she had been promoted at thirty-eight to Captain it had been almost unheard of as well. Now at forty-two she was young for a Captain of such a large ship, but no one did a double take.

She put down Emma Swan's file and sat back. They were different beasts, her and this Emma Swan. Regina had nothing but commendations on her record. There wasn't even a hint of a fight on there, not she hadn't had confrontations, but she had solved them in much quieter ways. She didn't like to remember many of her mother's teachings, but some lessons had served her well at least. Still, her and Emma had advanced through the ranks more quickly than expected. She knew what that was like, everyone doubting that someone so young should have command over them.

Regina shook herself. There was no need for thoughts like that. She had earned her place. She would have to see if Emma Swan had really put in the work to her rank as the mission went on. From the little eye rolling episode when she had commanded the woman to look after Henry's ship, she thought perhaps not. But butting heads with hot shot officers was nothing new for her and so if Emma Swan wanted to go that route with her she was very able to play that game.

She shut Emma's file and pushed everything to the side. Anastasia had come through on her promise to find all information on the two people she had asked about. She would have to thank her in the morning. A little kindness went a long way sometimes in creating a cohesive command community. But for now she was tired and she had to be up very early for her next shift. She should sleep while she could because who knew what the next day would bring.

She changed into the simple cotton standard issue pj pants and top before slipping under the covers. She wondered how Henry's first day on the ship had gone. She would find him in the morning in the mess and talk to him for a few minutes. She blinked her eyes shut and felt sleep pulling at her. She let the current take her away and she was sleeping within seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina walked into the mess and looked around carefully. This early there weren't a great many people. In another twenty minutes or so there would be a flood of people who gave themselves just enough time to eat and run before their shifts started. That hadn't changed in all the time she'd been an officer, nor did she ever think it would. For a disciplined bunch who could go without sleep for days if ordered, they loved to sleep when they could.

She walked to the front of the line. Petty Officer Tiny was standing behind the counter with his ever present smile. Regina nodded to him and he quickly handed her a cup of coffee. She inhaled the earthy scent and sighed. She didn't like the early mornings the service required any more than anyone else, but coffee was her secret weapon.

"Thank you, Petty Officer." Regina sipped her drink. Tiny always seemed to hand it to her at the perfect temperature. She was grateful that he was one of the few people she already knew on this mission.

"You're welcome, Captain. Anything else you want this morning?"

Regina looked over everything. Eggs, bacon, an Atlantian dish she absolutely detested, pancakes, and some sort of vegetarian dish she didn't recognize. A fair spread, but then again it was early in the mission. "What kind of pancakes are those?" Regina asked.

"Um, apple I believe."

Regina's mouth twitched up into as much of a smile as she ever showed while she was around her crew. "Then I will have some of those."

Tiny grabbed a plate. "Coming right up." He handed her a plate with three apple pancakes and a container of syrup.

"Thank you." Regina grabbed her coffee and with another nod was off to find a table. She could venture to the officers' mess, but she wanted to at least speak to Henry for a minute or so. Knowing him he would be one of the last ones through the door for breakfast and yet he'd still make it to his post on time. She didn't know how he did it, but the entire time he'd been in the academy she hadn't heard of him being anything less than extremely punctual.

She cut off a bite of pancake and slipped it into her mouth. She sighed again. Good food always made a mission that much easier.

Regina was halfway through her pancakes when three women walked through the door laughing loudly. She looked up and saw Emma Swan, Ingrid Arenndale, and a third woman with red streaks through her hair that were certainly against regulation. She frowned at them as they walked over to get in the line that was still rather small. They were earlier than most, but far too raucous for the morning.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Hood appeared from the back of the kitchen and glared at the woman. "Red, you're not causing trouble already are you?"

The younger woman rolled her eyes. "No, Granny, everything is on an even keel, I swear."

The older woman nodded. "Fine, fine." She stopped glaring over her glasses at the group of three women. "But knowing you three…" She trailed off an shook her head. She reached down and served up three plates quickly, all with different combinations of foods and handed them to the three women. They smiled at Granny and thanked her before finding their own table.

Regina pursed her lips. So the one with red streaks was related to the woman in charge of the kitchens, interesting. It also seemed that she was good friends with Emma and her mother, enough that they got in trouble together. She hummed to herself as she swirled around her coffee. Careful observation could tell her a great deal about the inner workings of a ship's crew and perhaps she was figuring out everything here piece by piece for now.

She ate the rest of her pancakes and was just about to turn in her plate and empty mug when Henry barreled in, hair slightly askew, but uniform pressed and perfect. She smiled at her not so little anymore boy. She walked up beside him and nudged him with her hip.

"Ensign Mills."

Henry smiled at her. "Captain Mills." He saluted her perfectly.

Regina melted a little bit. When he was young, probably only five at the time, he had asked her to teach him to salute like a real member of the Interstellar Directive. It had taken him about an hour to snap off a salute correctly, but he had never forgotten how from that day forward. She could still that little five year old standing in front of her, even now that he was in fatigues and in line for breakfast on his first tour.

"And how has your first day been, officer?"

Henry's eyes lit up. "It's been great, Mom, um…Captain." He blushed lightly.

Regina laughed and embraced him for half a second. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of personal titles in personal spaces and formal titles elsewhere soon enough. Until then I don't think anyone can deny that we're mother and son. You look too much like me."

Henry nodded at that. "Uh, yeah." He rolled his eyes that he had gotten directly from her.

They stepped up to the front of the line. Regina leaned closer. "Come see me after your shift is done. You can tell me how the flight deck is."

"Ok, Captain." He smiled once more at her before turning to the food and pointing to everything except the Atlantian dish. He would eat them out of house and home, she was sure.

Regina made her way up the bridge, nodding at soldiers that saluted her. She walked up to Lieutenant Nova when she reached the bridge. "Lieutenant I have the command now."

Lieutenant Nova stepped back from Regina's chair. "Yes, Captain."

"Status report."

"Nothing out of the ordinary for this quadrant. All the surveillance equipment was deployed and came online. Droids that you sent out have made their first reports with the all clear. All in all a quiet shift, Captain."

"Good, I like quiet. Well then Lieutenant, you may go off shift."

"Thank you, Captain, good morning." Nova nodded before walking out the way Regina had come.

The rest of the day shift trickled in dismissing their counterparts for the day. When everyone was seated and ready Regina turned and surveyed their faces. They were hard at work already. Regina nodded. Good, she liked when a crew had work ethic without prompting.

"Lieutenant Fa pull up the map of this quadrant for me on the screen."

The woman nodded and set to work tapping on her screen until the area in front of Regina was lit with a map. The blinking light that indicated their ship moved at a good clip through the space on the map. Regina looked around at all the surrounding planets. She bit her lip for a long second. Xandu Wi was technically part of the United Systems, but this close to the Border the allegiance of the planets was always suspect. She had heard chatter about cells on the planet when she had been preparing for this mission.

She tapped the screen and added a yellow flag to the planet. They would watch them closely, but for now they would do nothing. The other planets that were within ten Units of her ship and across the Border were the planets that really worried her. The Border planets this close like to raid the outer System planets. They weren't starting off with a very active part of the Border, but that didn't mean that something couldn't be started in an instant. She placed more yellow flags on those planets, upper the watch level on them slightly before moving on.

She flagged all of the planets within their next few days of flight and then sat back. "Lieutenant Commander Blue, make sure to pay extra attention to the planets I've flagged as we go by them. I do not want any surprises on this mission. If they are going to attack us I want at least an hour warning."

The woman nodded. "Yes, Captain."

"Concentrate the drones on the red flagged planets. They are the ones that previous reports have seen attacks from. Make sure those drones are armed. Perhaps we can nip attacks in the bud that way. The yellow planets just need watched carefully. Long range should be sufficient in that case."

"Yes, Captain, implementing a plan of action now."

Regina turned back around and started to work on the first of her mission reports. The bridge bustled around her as she typed. She finished quickly since there wasn't much to report after only a day of quiet. She looked up again fifteen minutes later when Mal appeared by her side.

"Morning, Captain." Mal sank down in her chair.

"Good morning Commander, a bit late for duty, aren't we?"

"Carrying out the orders you gave me yesterday, ma'am."

"Ma'am now? Oh my, Mal, what did you do?"

"Nothing, just thought that perhaps a new mission might do well to start off with a bit of standard procedure."

Regina just cocked an eyebrow and waited Mal out. They'd been friends long enough that she knew she'd get what she wanted eventually.

Mal rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I really was carrying out your orders at the beginning. I went back down to the flight deck to talk to Lily at the end of her shift to see if anyone on second shift had anything different to say about those monstrosities, but it was more of the same. After that Lily and I got carried away talking about the new upgrades on the original fighters and time got away from me and that was why I was late."

Regina chuckled. "Now why was that so hard to come out with in the first place?"

Mal glared.

Regina just shook her head. Mal was a dragon to deal with sometimes, quite literally. Fighting alongside her in dragon form was a thing of beauty, but other than that not so much. "What did you learn then?"

"There were a couple that had just graduated from the academy that had training on both the old fighters and the new ones they just sent us. Consensus was the old ones are better, though we had already figured that out well before hand. The older pilots have no idea how to handle them, though if we gave them a day I have no doubt that they would be able to master them. Flying is flying after all, but they were like us, no one wanted to touch them."

Regina nodded along. As pilots they never really stopped being pilots. She was still ready to drop everything and get into the cockpit if it came to that, but it never would. She had given up her wings when she had been promoted to the executive officer of her ship five years ago. She had wanted the promotion, but that didn't mean she didn't miss the freedom that flying brought her.

"As for the ones who do know how to fly them, they said to put them in the middle. Their response times are slow but their targeting systems are the best out there. They won't hit friendly ships no matter what happens out there. We could just put the newbies in them like you said and all would be well. They wouldn't even feel insulted considering they're the ones who told me to put them in the middle."

Regina nodded. "Get me Commander Midas then and we'll go over the new strategy with the ships."

Mal nodded and tapped her comm link. She talked rapidly and Regina sat back once more. It was past due to have a face to face with her commander of the flight deck. Really she needed to organize a few extra meetings with the commanders of the ship to get a better feel of them. For now the regular weekly meeting wouldn't suffice. Or if they were forced to only have weekly meetings they would be much longer and no one really wanted that. She nodded to herself and brought up the ship's schedule and started to plot out a good meeting time for everyone.

"Um, Captain, I think you might want to see this," Lieutenant Commander Blue said.

Regina looked up and back at the woman. "What is it?"

The other woman tapped a few buttons on her screen and suddenly the view screen at the front of the bridge changed from a view of the stars around them to the grainy image that a drone projected back from long distances. Regina sat forward to make sure she saw what she thought she did. She grabbed Mal's arm and tapped her comm link. Whatever she had been saying to the commander could wait.

"Lieutenant, is that what I think it is?"

"The signatures come back as positive. It's a ship from our fleet, but there are no engines on. From the readouts the life support systems are still going, but they it won't be long before they fail."

"What class of ship is that?" Mal said from beside Regina.

"Palace Class."

Regina glanced back at Mal with narrowed eyes. "Those life support systems are supposed to work for two years even without the engines powering them. If they're about to shut off either that ship is damaged or…"

"Check the database of the System and see if any ships in that class have been lost in the last five years."

"Yes, Commander."

"Commander Dracon, put everyone at their stations and on alert. Lieutenant Fa, plot a course to the ship but do not get too close until we have a better picture of what's going on. Lieutenant Blue how did you find this?"

"When I was transferring drones to the planets you had indicated one flew past the ship and flagged it."

Regina nodded. "Alright, if there are any other drones in the area send them there as well. Scan it fully. I want to know what we are getting into and if there is anyone left on that ship. Lieutenant Fa, how long before we arrive?"

"An hour if we push it."

"Push it then. The scans will be back long before that."

Regina tapped her comm link. "Commander Midas put your best pilots at the ready and then report to the bridge."

"Yes, Captain."

Mal activated the ship wide announcement a second later. "All soldiers report to their stations and remain on alert until further notice." She clicked off and turned to Regina.

"Commander Sherwood, what's the longest that ship could have been out here with the life support system and fuel for the engines taken into account."

The commander thought for a few minutes, scribbling down a few notes while she was calculating. "A ship of that class has fuel enough for five years assuming it was travelling at normal cruising speed. Assuming that the ship isn't damaged and that the engines ran that whole time and the life support preformed at an optimum level, seven years maybe eight depending. If they stretched the fuel for longer than five years by switching the engine on and off periodically and recharging the life support systems…could be as many as fifteen to twenty depending on how they did it. If the numbers were small they wouldn't run out of food since the ship is stocked for two years of five thousand or so people living off the rations."

Regina nodded. "Lieutenant Blue expand the search back to twenty years."

"Yes, Captain."

Regina felt her muscles tightening. "Get me Commander Mer. Tell her I want a line open to command as soon as possible. The higher up in the command chain the better. Command needs to know what's going on out here." So much for a quiet little voyage.

The women around her scurried, accomplishing ever task that needed done. Regina kept staring at the fuzzy image of the ship on the front screen. How in the world was it possible to lose a palace class ship and have no one hear about it. Even if the ship had disappeared twenty years ago, Regina had been in Interstellar Directive for five years if she counted her time in the academy. She'd been on her first ship at the time. Someone would have heard. The soldiers rarely missed such a big piece of gossip and five thousand people didn't go missing without someone noticing.

"How much time before the search of the database is finished and how long until the drones are in place for a better scan?" Regina asked in the bustling chaos.

"The search is at sixty percent and counting, captain," Lieutenant Blue said. "And the drones will be in place fully in about thirty minutes. They're currently burning through most of their fuel supplies to get there as fast as possible. Fifty percent will be there in ten minutes."

"Good, we will worry about their fuel supplies after this debacle is over. You've started more detailed scans already?"

"Yes, captain, but some of the more intricate equipment is on the drones that are inbound."

"All right, inform me when there are enough there to get a complete picture or when something is flagged."

"Of course."

Regina looked at Mal. "How many do you think we can accommodate right now if we find survivors?"

"A thousand, maybe, but we would have to send for a ship from command to have them carted back to base as soon as possible. They would almost be hanging from the rafters if we had that many."

"Compile a list of ships that are in the area. If there are more then we will need their help to take survivors."

"You think there will be that many?"

Regina shook her head. "No, but there could be. We both know how resourceful people can be when they need to survive. They may surprise us and that means we need to be ready."

Mal nodded and went to ordering around the people necessary to compile the list Regina had asked for.

Commander Midas walked on the bridge with confident steps. She approached Regina and nodded. "Captain, reporting as ordered."

Regina looked up at the blonde haired woman. "Who have you commanded to be at the ready?"

"Lieutenant Dracon, Lieutenant Maldonia, Ensign Flounder, Lieutenant Commander Pots, and Ensign Phillippe."

Regina nodded. She knew each of those pilots through their reputations. They were all the best as she had commanded. "They will do. They have no illusions about using those new ships, do they?"

"Of course not, Captain, they already have their own ships and they'd rather die than give them up."

She knew that feeling well. Once you got to know a ship it became yours and you got used to the quirks it had and the tricks around them. Getting used to another afterwards was a pain in the ass.

"Good, I want no surprises on this mission. God only knows what's out there. Have they been armed?"

"Yes, they're carrying the usual payload plus a few more interesting things that command thought to include for this mission just in case."

Regina glanced up at the clock. "We will be there in forty-five minutes and should have more accurate scans within thirty or less. Stay here and contact your pilots as information arrives."

The commander nodded and stepped back. "Yes, Captain."

She started to tap her fingers on the arm of her chair. There was nothing more to do now. She had executed every step that she could while there was little information about what was going on, on that ship. But the adrenaline was still pumping through her. She needed something to do, a strategy to execute, but there was nothing else. Her brain took to running through possible scenarios just for something to keep her still.

She looked again at the map off to her side with the flagged planets and then looked back up at the stranded ship. Mentally she plotted where the ship would fall. Close to two yellow flagged planets and one red. She frowned. Now what exactly were the chances of that?

"Lieutenant Blue, am I wrong in reading the map in front of me or is the ship not within short flight range of three flagged planets?"

An ensign under Blue answered. "Yes, Captain, I just noticed the same thing myself and I finished plotting the location of the ship half a second ago." She tapped the screen in front of her and an icon representing the ship they were flying towards appeared on the map. Right smack dab in the middle of all of them. Regina frowned.

"Commander Midas, you are going to need all hands on deck. This reeks of an ambush to me and I'll not tolerate it. Get everyone out of bed to prepare in time if need be. I'd rather have a grumpy crew than a half dead one."

"Of course, Captain." The woman nodded her blonde head at Regina and immediately tapped her comm link and started issuing orders with the surety that only an experienced officer had.

"Send out a short synopsis of why each of the planets is on our watch list to the pilots. I want them prepared as possible, give them anything you can about weapons and fighting styles of the planets but keep it as brief as possible. Time is limited."

"Yes, Captain," Came from a few people around Regina.

Regina double tapped on her comm link. "Commander De Vil."

"Captain?" A smooth accented voice asked a second later.

"Equip the pilots with weapons for when they board the ship. They might need more than the blasters they are already assigned, but for gods sake don't give them anything that could blow the damn ship to pieces from the inside. And get whatever you can onto the fighters without weighing them down too much."

"Expecting a fight, Captain?"

If Regina was hearing right, she could almost swear that she heard a smirk in the other woman's voice. "Just a hunch, but yes. Too many flagged planets in the area to be completely coincidental."

"Well then, we shall give them a rather nasty surprise right back." She hummed, pleased.

"How long do you need to outfit them properly?"

"Oh, not long, darling. I was already preparing the essentials when you rang. A few more people who just went off shift and we'll be ready before we get there in forty minutes."

"Good."

She double tapped her comm link and broke the connection. "What's the status of identifying that ship?" She needed answers and she needed them now.

"The search just finished, Captain," Lieutenant Commander Blue said. "There's a result but I don't have high enough clearance to access it."

Regina's blood ran cold at that. If it wasn't free knowledge then whatever this ship had been lost doing had been classified. In the Directive classified was never a good thing.

"What does the access level need to be?"

"Level five or over."

Regina double tapped her comm link again. "Commander Mer."

"Captain?"

"Open that line of communication right now. Tell them we have a classified ship in our sights and patch them through to me immediately. Whatever is out there is level five or above."

"Yes, Captain, I'll direct it to you as soon as I'm connected."

Regina double tapped her comm link again. Level five meant no one below the rank of admiral had access to the files. Her level four access got her most anything she wanted, but this was definitely different. She tapped her fingers against her chair. At least this explained why no one had ever heard of the ship going missing.

"Do you think they'll make us turn around?" Mal asked from right beside her.

"I don't know. Ships make this loop every few weeks and yet no one has seen this ship before." Regina shook her head. "If we're the first ones to see it I think they will want us to at least survey the situation. That's a hundred billion credits sitting dead in space with god knows what information still on its drives. They'll want it and we're definitely the closest."

"God that will be a mess. The debriefs alone will be horrendous, let alone the fact that half the fleet would be out here in a second."

"I'm not sure about half the fleet, but half the flag officers? Definitely. Half the fleet would be too flashy."

"All of them on a Knight Class ship then?"

"Mmm, or a Squire."

"Oh please like an admiral would travel on anything that small."

Regina rolled her eyes at Mal. "Well, it's not like they're going to bring another Queen Class out here. People would take notice if there were two of them out here with a Palace Class stranded beside them."

"Yeah, but we both know if they had the option they'd just bring on the Kings out here and fuck it."

"There are only three of those and they're all doing things halfway across the universe that are probably more important than this."

"Regina, how do you know they're more important? A level five ship out here? Seems pretty damn important to me." Mal cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, well, there's no need to bring such a big ship out here. It isn't maneuverable or fast in any way."

"With sixty thousand people on board to fight the damn things don't need to be fast."

"Beside the point, Mal. They would take a while just to get here even at hyper drive. They can't jump as far as bulky as they are."

"You're just ruining all my fun." Mal fake pouted.

"I'm the captain of this ship my job is to remain realistic unlike some of us." Regina rolled her eyes.

"Captain?" Commander Mer's voice sounded in Regina's ear.

"Yes, Commander?"

"The link is set up, transferring it to your personal screen right now."

"Good, thank you."

The comm link closed and immediately opened again as the screen in front of her lit up. Regina wasn't surprised when the Admiral of the Fleet showed up on her screen. She snapped off a salute quickly.

"Admiral Isaacs." She nodded deeply.

The man's face shifted into his normal sneer. "Captain Mills, it seems you've stumbled on quite the mess out there already."

"So it seems, Admiral, and here I was hoping for a quite voyage."

He snorted out a harsh laugh. "Aren't we all."

"What are your orders to deal with the situation, Admiral? Currently we are on route to the location of the ship, all the pilots are at the ready, and all our drones are closing in on the location of the ship to give us a better picture of just what's going on out there. The ship is conveniently located between three planets that all have had unsavory activity, two yellow level and one red. If I may speculate, sir, I believe that we might be looking at an ambush."

The admiral grunted out an answer. "Seems likely. Captain, I'm unlocking the file on that ship for your eyes only. You will tell your crew nothing about what the ships mission was, but I want your decisions to be informed. The Directive needs that ship back and this seems like the best opportunity. You have the man power to deal with whatever they throw at you."

Regina's tablet pinged, indicating she had a message. That would be the unlocked file for her perusal later. She glanced at Mal and nodded. They were still on. Mal nodded back and took over command, firing out orders once more as Regina turned back to the Admiral.

"Yes, sir. What are we supposed to do with the ship once we secure it?"

"Contact me immediately and hold your positions as long as it is safe to do so. A ship will meet you out there and will take the stranded one off of your hands. After that you may return to patrolling as normal."

Regina nodded. "Is there anything that I need to know that isn't in that file, sir?"

"There shouldn't be, that file is very thorough, Captain. You are a senior officer, I trust that you actually know how to use your brain and get a positive outcome out of this without me holding your hand."

"Of course, Admiral. I will contact you as soon as the ship is obtained."

"Good." And with that the screen went blank.

Regina grabbed up her tablet immediately and started to read as the bridge maintained its controlled chaos around her. She pulled back a little bit, staring at the screen. She had thought that there would still be redacted data in the files, but the admiral had given her full access, to everything. She swallowed hard and continued to scan the file.

The ship, the Renfield, had left the inner systems from a base on Prio Mani, hidden in the mountains of the planet five years ago. The crew was only a thousand members, the rest of the work being done by a new group of AI that the United Systems was testing and hadn't yet declassified. Their mission had been three fold, take the AI out on their first long term mission and report back their success or failure to perform as needed, gather intel on every planet they passed, and to annihilate a few planets over the border of the Systems that had given trouble one too many times.

Regina closed her eyes and felt a little sick to her stomach. She understood war. As a Captain in a militaristic operation, she had to. But war was provoked by more than a few raids and did not kill off innocents as much as possible. Blowing up a planet like that was supposed to be a last resort. And yet this tactic did not surprise her. She was well aware that there were more than a few trigger happy people farther up in the command chain.

It was clear, however, what the Directive wanted. They wanted their AI systems back and they wanted whatever information that the mission had managed to gather on the planets. Gathering information on loyal planets was low, but that was the least of her worry at the moment.

She sat back and closed her tablet. She wondered how the AI was programed to respond to people boarding the ship. God, how in the world was she supposed to warn her people that there might be a group of robots or whatnot shooting at them. Rather invulnerable robots. If luck was on their side the AI would recognize that they were from the Directive and stand down, especially with the life support systems about to fail for whatever might be left of the human crew. There was nothing she could really do any more than what she already had. Her men were going in armed to the teeth with anything they could carry with a force of fifteen hundred people. She was prepared.

But still it did not sit well with her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Captain, the drones are in place for a comprehensive scan," Lieutenant Blue said.

"Run them. How long until the results?"

"Five minutes maximum." Regina nodded but said nothing more. The more she knew the better she could plan.

Half a minute later the lieutenant called out again. "Captain, whatever is going on, on that ship is blocking any of the more sophisticated instruments. There's little more than we can tell than what the original scans showed."

Regina wanted to curse but held the urge. Of course a ship that damn classified would have blockers. With the life support systems about to fail it might be a good idea to divert power from them to keep everyone alive longer, but of course that was not how the Directive worked.

"Fine, we will approach cautiously then. Lieutenant Fa?"

"Roger that, Captain. I will slow when we're about ten minutes out."

"Good. How long until we are there?"

"Twenty minutes at the pace we are going, but more if I slow down ten minutes out."

"Of course."

Regina looked over at Mal and motioned her over with a jerk of her head. Mal came to her side a second later.

"What is it?"

She debated for half a second how much to tell Mal, but then decided everything. She was the executive officer of the ship after all. If something happened to Regina she would be in charge and would need all the information possible. They worked best as a team issuing orders, anyway even if the worst didn't happen.

"The ship was classified level five because of the mission it was on," Regina said, stepping close to whisper into Mal's ear. She debated upon raising a sound barrier around them, but decided against it. It would draw unnecessary attention and sound barriers were not fool proof. As many brilliant people as there were on the ship, someone could get past them. Whispering between her and Mal was nothing new. She glanced around them to see if anyone was listening, just in case, though.

"Well, of course," Mal whispered back. "That was obvious, Regina."

"Mmm, yes but there were other considerations. The mission was…unsavory in nature, yes, but there was new AI tech on board the ship on its first long mission test."

"And that AI might still be there and we don't know how it will react."

Regina pulled back and nodded.

"There isn't anything I can think of to do more than we already have done," Mal said after a long minute.

"That was the conclusion I came to as well." They looked at the maps scattered around them on various screens, watching as the dot that represented the ship grew closer and closer.

"Mal, what about Lily?

Mal turned to her. "She'd be more vulnerable in that form and a bigger target. And she couldn't be out long."

"I'm aware, but if we need a large force she's the best bet. I need you here or I would have you go with her."

"Have her go out with a copilot. If we need her she can eject and transform. Hopefully if there are any big arms they'll have been used by then and her scales can protect her from the smaller stuff. She won't waste the thirty minutes she has out there not actually being needed."

"Talk to her then." She turned away from Mal and to Commander Midas who was still standing off to the side, watching everything intently. "Commander Midas."

The woman stepped forward. "Yes, Captain?"

"Assign a copilot to Lieutenant Dracon. Her other skills might be needed during the fight and I don't want to have a ship careening around the field because it doesn't have a pilot."

Commander Midas nodded. "Um, Captain, if I may?"

"Continue." Regina cocked an eyebrow, wondering what the woman might bring up.

"Are you sure it's wise to have a Dragon in the middle of the field like that? She's the size of a ten story building and she'd be hard to avoid, especially when she first transforms."

"Yes, that's why she will be a last resort. As I remember she's the only one on this crew that can actually survive in the vacuum of space for any amount of time, unless you know someone else whose species evolved to fly from moon to moon of their home planet. The fact is, Commander she's powerful in that form and having her as a backup when we don't know what sort of confrontation we're going into makes sense."

The commander nodded. "Of course, I will just warn the newbies to look out when the order comes."

"Thank you commander."

The other woman stepped back and went to stand off to the side once more. She looked up at the map again. Two minutes out from the ten minute mark. She felt the engines shift below her, starting to slow down the ship already.

"Call down to Lieutenant Commander Arenndale," Regina said as the ship continued on at a much slower pace now, inching towards their target. "Make sure she has the engines ready to jump if that's what we need."

Mal nodded and tapped her comm link.

Regina turned to Commander Sherwood. "Plot a jump, somewhere on our route, but far away that we will have plenty of notice if anyone is following us. I hope I don't need to emphasize that you must make the jump untraceable. It doesn't do us a damn bit of good otherwise."

The Commander nodded. "Of course, Captain."

She would catch hell if they had to jump without the ship, but the lives of twenty thousand people were more important than a ship full of AI with no true signs of life on board. She would deal with it when the flack came.

Tense minutes passed by as everyone waited for the ship to come into view. The projection across the front view screen was taken down and everyone on the bridge kept glancing up as they went about their work, waiting. Regina stood in front of her normal chair, standing at parade rest, hands clasped behind her back. Mal returned and stood off to her right side, not saying anything, just waiting for more orders.

Slowly, a dark shape emerged in front of them, turning slowly from a smudge that could have just been a trick of the eye, to something more distinct.

"Lieutenant Blue, on the scans, there was no one else around the ship, correct?"

"No on within the range of the drones, no. And none of them passed anything big enough to set off alarms."

"Good, Lieutenant Fa, stop ten clicks off. Commander Midas, tell you pilots to ready for launch. We go on my signal."

"Yes, Captain," everyone answered.

The ship started to slow once more, gliding serenely to a stop at the distance Regina had requested. From here the ship looked like little more than an overgrown planetary transport. No details could be seen, but that suited Regina just fine. She wanted time to maneuver just in case something came at them.

"Keep the engines running and at the first sign of anything funny, you move, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Captain."

"Is everyone queued up to launch?" She turned to her flight commander.

"Yes, ready on your mark."

She nodded. "It's a go."

The ship rumbled as ships took off, launching themselves into space at rather insane speeds. Regina watched them all fly towards the stranded ship in tight formation. She waited, breath held for something to come out of the woodwork and slam into her soldiers, but there was nothing. She frowned. She had expected small ships to appear, barely more than Serf class ships, small enough to not set off the drones. But there was nothing.

"Captain?" Lieutenant Commander Pots asked over the comm link.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"We're at the dock bay of the ship now. Should some of us go ahead and board. This silence doesn't sit right with me," her motherly voice sounded almost strange over the comm link. She was the oldest pilot on the ship, but still one of the best hands down.

"I don't find it settling either. Take about a fourth of you and board. Leave Lieutenant Dracon in charge of the fleet that stays in the ships and whatever you do, do not take off your suits in that ship. I trust it about as far as I can throw it. I want a status report every three minutes."

"Roger that, Captain."

Regina watched as the ships started to move around once again, a few heading towards the docking bay, the rest pulling into a tight formation, guarding the vulnerable ships.

"Landed and making our way inside, Captain," Lieutenant Pots said.

Regina paced the bridge, waiting for the next update. The seconds passed like hours and the minutes like eternity. She wished that Captains were actually officers that got to go out in the field. She missed knowing what was going on the moment it happened. But of course it was foolish to put the person in charge of everyone in harm's way.

"There's no sign of life yet, Captain, but the support systems are still functioning." Pots's voice was hushed.

She breathed out a little breath of relief at the first check in. "Keep looking, Lieutenant."

Three more check-ins passed with all the speed of snails. Nothing changed. Pots and her crew walked through the ship carefully and Regina waited. No signs of life.

"We've reached the bridge. Do you want us to run a scan to see if there are personnel on the ship?" Pots asked.

"Carefully, yes. God knows what those computers are like. They may not function like regulation ship consoles."

"Roger that."

If anywhere the AI was going to interfere it was when the computers were accessed. Regina hoped that whoever was on that crew, Pots had decided to take one of the computer experts with her.

More than three minutes passed. Regina tensed. She would give Pots and extra sixty seconds to check in and then she would call. For all she knew whatever the computer was telling them had distracted her. It didn't have to be horrible.

The sixty seconds passed. "Pots, what's going on?" she barked out.

She felt the crew tense behind her. That tone of Regina's was never known to be associated with anything good. Silence reigned on the other end of the line for another few excruciating seconds. A hundred different contingency plans ran through Regina's head. To leave them behind and evacuate the rest of the pilots or to send in a rescue crew, to try and contact them again and figure out what was going on, to leave radio silence so that whatever was over there wouldn't be found. Her brain cycled through all the decisions trying to figure out what was best for the case in front of her. Decisions were never easy out here.

"Captain," Lieutenant Pots finally said.

Regina relaxed fractionally. "Yes?"

"I think you need to see this."

"What is it?"

"I don't think I can describe it. It's just…there are AI, but they aren't AI? And what they're doing, it isn't pretty, but I can tell you that this ship has no personnel on it. At least personnel that are alive. We'll secure the rest of the ship, but you'll need to see this when we're done."

"I still want reports every three minutes, but yes, secure the rest of the ship." Regina turned towards Mal. "Ready a transport ship. We're going aboard."

She listened to the rest of Pots reports as the bridge bustled around her, preparing the transport. All were clear. Regina sighed out the last remaining tension, returning to her normal state of alert.

Mal tapped her on the shoulder. "The ship is ready."

Regina nodded. "You're in charge while I'm off ship, the normal routine."

Mal gave a thumbs up and stepped back.

"Commander Sherwood and Lieutenant Blue, you're with me. Send anyone else you know with expert computer skills. There's AI on this ship and I need the best we have to figure out what went wrong."

The two women nodded and fell in step behind her, calling on their comm links for anyone else they wanted. They made their way to the flight bay where Warrant Officer Swan sat by the transport ship.

"Officer Swan I wasn't aware you knew how to pilot a ship," Regina said, stopping in front of the woman. Her eyes drifted down the other woman's form involuntarily. The picture in her file did little justice to the bright blonde curls and viridian eyes. She shook herself out of it. This was neither the time nor the place to admire another soldier's looks.

Swan shrugged. "Doesn't do me any good to know how to fix them unless I know how to fly them. I need to know what normal behavior is and all the other pilots are out there around whatever the fuck that ship is, so I'm the best one to take you out there."

"I see, fair enough Officer. I could also pilot the ship, or did you forget that I was a pilot like all Captains? But that is beside the point. Let's get going." She cocked an eyebrow.

She saw Swan roll her eyes before she and her entourage climbed into the ship and quickly strapped themselves into their seats. Swan hopped into the cockpit and powered on the ship. Regina sat back and watched the woman execute the steps to takeoff easily and with confidence. For a woman who wasn't a pilot everyday she had skill enough.

"Red, open the doors, we're ready to blow this joint," Swan said into the mike.

"Roger that."

The hum of the launch bay doors reverberated through Regina. Her adrenaline spiked and she felt like she was going out on a mission like she had when she was younger. She didn't think that this feeling ever left pilots, even if they moved up in rank and didn't fly anymore. It was addicting.

The ship lifted off the landing pad and climbed to a suitable height. It banked easily and positioned itself to launch out the doors. It hovered for just a moment, calm and still, before it shot forward into space. Swan laughed from the cockpit.

"Sorry, I love that part. We'll be there in a couple minutes, provided the guys already out there make a path for us so we can land."

"They should already have their orders from Commander Midas," Regina said.

"Awesome, smooth sailing then.

The ship ripped through space, the stranded ship getting closer with each passing second. As predicted, the pilots around the larger vessel had arranged so their transport had a free path to the loading bay. Swan set them down easily and flipped the switches so the engine switched to idle. She pushed up from the cockpit seat and ripped open the compartment with exosuits in it. She threw them at the others and grabbed one for herself.

Regina stepped forward. "What do you think you're doing, Officer?"

Swan looked up at her. "Getting ready to go out there? What else would I be doing right now?"

"You should stay by the ship in case a quick escape is needed. Transports can't make a fast getaway like fighters."

"Yeah, true, but I'm the only one outside of Ingrid who has a chance of starting up the engines on this thing, or am I wrong in thinking that the Directive probably wants this hunk of metal back."

"This ship is probably out of fuel, Officer. You can't do much with an engine with no fuel."

Swan snorted. "Yeah, you'd be surprised." She finished zipping up the suit. "So why don't you put on that suit and we can get going, or was this a lazy Sunday trip and not an urgent mission?"

Regina's nostrils flared. "I would be very careful with your next words, Swan. I am the Captain of this ship, and you would do well to remember that."

Swan rolled her eyes but said nothing more. Regina nodded at that and started to pull on her suit. She zipped it up and Swan handed her the headpiece.

"Turn around and I'll put on the oxy-pack." Swan hefted the thing up and down.

Regina looked at her for a long moment. She couldn't put the damn thing on herself and with a glance she confirmed the Blue and Sherwood were attending to themselves. With a sigh she turned around and let Swan hook her up quickly. She turned back around after a second and held out her hand. She might as well be polite and return the favor. Swan handed her another oxy-pack and turned with a smirk on her face. Regina tossed the pack up and down and contemplated just leaving the ship without putting the damn thing on. Swan couldn't accompany them then and that stupid smug smirk would be wiped off her face. But the woman did have a point if she could get the ship up and under their control executing their orders would be easier. So she bit the bullet and stepped forward, snapping the pack in and connecting the requisite qires quickly.

"Come on," she said once she was done. Regina walked into the transport's air lock and waited for the other three women to file in behind her. She pressed the button to activate the lock and waited none to patiently as it took its time to open. The second it was done Regina was striding through the ship at a rapid pace. She heard scrambling footsteps behind her as the other woman caught up with her. She smirked a little, hoping that those scrambling steps were Swan. The other two with her were more aware of how she walked when on a mission.

They made their way quickly to the bridge to find Pots and her group combing through every inch of the space. Regina walked up to Pots who saluted at her approach.

"Are there others on the ship or are all your men here?"

"There are two separate teams combing the other areas of the ship, ten members each. They've been reporting in every three minutes, but there's nothing of note."

Regina nodded. "Then show me whatever it is I need to see."

Pots nodded at a large woman. The woman pressed a few buttons and the screen in front of them came to life. Regina recognized it immediately as a ship's log, but something was off. There was no captain in the screen, there wasn't anyone on screen besides a group of odd looking robots. So there was the AI that the Directive wanted back. She swallowed as the hair on the back of her neck prickled.

A robotic voice sounded from the speakers. "Directive date 3209 the 8th of May. Maxray systems have claimed control of the ship from faulty human commanders. Extermination of anyone who protests is underway."

The video switched over to show a few robots with multiple blasters mowing down a small line of soldiers. Regina's mouth went dry. Whoever had made these AI had miscalculated completely.

"Lieutenant, you are absolutely sure none of these AI are still here."

"I'm sure, keep watching Captain."

Regina turned her eyes to the screen again.

"Once completed," the AI continued. "This ship will find and eliminate the humans who work under the Directive. Maxrays are much more suited to this task and so we will take over. All who resist will face the same fate as their counterparts on this ship. This is the ultimate execution of our prime directive to protect the United Systems. This report will be continued once the mission has advanced."

The video cut to black for a few seconds before turning on again. The AI was on screen once more. "Directive date 3211, July 19th. This ship no longer suits the needs of the mission. Maxray systems are abandoning it and will commandeer something more useful so the mission may continue as planned. Consequently this is the last log of this ship."

The screen went blank and no one said anything for a few seconds.

Pots stepped forward. "After that the log says that they took the launch pods and went off elsewhere. They turned the locators off, of course, so we have no idea where they went."

Regina sighed heavily. Robots that were homicidal and they were loose in the universe without a clue where they were. Wonderful. And if they had any tracking devices within the AI they had probably been turned off as well. To find them without some hint would be almost impossible. The possibilities were endless.

"Commander Sherwood and Lieutenant Blue, scour the computers and see if you can find something, anything, I don't care what at this point as long as it has even the barest potential of use. Officer Swan, you are the one who insisted on coming with us. Make yourself useful and see if you can actually do what you said you could."

No one said anything as they went about the tasks assigned to them. This was quite possibly the worst outcome barring outright attack. Regina rubbed at her temples and started to formulate her report in her head. It was going to take a lot of polishing before she was ever ready to present it to the Admiral.

She watched as the black screen was replaced by specs of the ship as Swan set to work. Her face was set into a fierce look of concentration, different from the relaxed confidence she had shown when she had flown the transport ship.

"Lieutenant Pots, when your crews return from checking out the rest of the ship, you may return to your fighters. There's no need for you to remain on a dead ship with no one to rescue. If all goes to plan then Officer Swan here will bring the ship up and we can continue on our way. I don't feel right sitting here waiting for the fleet to find us."

Pots nodded. "Yes, Captain, they should be back soon enough. Half a ship doesn't take an eternity to check over."

Regina turned back to watch Swan fiddling with levels on the screen. She glanced at the fuel reserves. They were low, but there was enough to get them some place at least. It looked like enough to get to the next friendly planet, Opria 9, but she wasn't completely confident on that observation.

The screen flashed red. "Fuck!" Swan exclaimed, pressing buttons faster now. Regina had no idea what was going on, other than it wasn't good. Engines weren't her specialty, especially large ship engines. At least with fighter engines she knew some.

She stepped closer. "What's going on, Swan?"

"Must of jerry-rigged it so anyone who tried to boot up the ship would be locked out," Swan bit out, still pressing buttons. "I'm not sure I can reverse it. They've got it hardwired into the system pretty good. I'm not sure I want to force it. God knows what they might have done to engines. The readouts aren't looking right. I'd say to get Ingrid over here, but I don't even think she could get this thing to fly again."

She hit a few more buttons on the screen in front of her before it went completely blank. "Well, shit, that's the end of that then." Swan stepped back. She looked up at Regina. "Nasty bastards wanted to make sure that if they weren't using this ship no one would be able to. I'd guess most of the systems are like that."

Regina pursed her lips and looked over to Sherwood and Blue, hoping that Swan wasn't right. She needed something to make this all worthwhile, not just a video of robots going rogue. But then there was a string of quiet cursing in Spanish and Regina knew that her hopes were dashed. She turned to Sherwood who looked up and shook her head.

"They've fried everything layers and layers deep. There's barely even the standard operating system anymore. They only left enough to keep the ship running and that was it," Sherwood confirmed.

Regina knew four different languages, but really the only word that could cover it was, "Fuck. Fuck everything." She drew in a breath. "All right. If the engine cannot be salvaged and the programming is gone, there's no use staying here. We will all head out when Pots's exploratory teams return."

Everyone around her nodded. Regina took another deep breath. This was going to be a nightmare to try to explain. AI were not supposed to be smart enough to do all of this, at least without command. They weren't supposed to have initiative. Unless someone at the Directive had gotten the stupid idea to give them initiative and now look where that had gotten them.

"Regina, come in," Mal's voice was tight and strained.

"What's going on?" Regina said perking up immediately, muscles bunching, ready for action. She knew that tone in Mal's voice. It was never good.

"We have unknown objects coming at us fast. As much as we can tell they're actually headed for your location and not ours."

Regina turned to Pots. "Order everyone out to their ships now, doesn't matter what their doing. Now! The rest of you, go!"

Everyone dropped what they were doing and rushed towards the exit in an orderly fashion. Regina jogged behind them all, Swan right in front of her.

"Mal, have you alerted the pilots?"

"Yeah, a couple went out to intercept, but they haven't come into contact yet."

"Good, keep me updated. We're evacuating right now."

"Roger that."

Feet pounded down hallways and stairs, more joining them as they went on. Regina hoped that all of Pots's crew were here now. She didn't know how long they had but they needed off this ship. They were sitting ducks here in a ship with no engines and no systems to speak of. If Regina had to bet the remaining pods on the ship were deactivated as well, so those weren't an option either.

But then they were on the deck and everyone was scrambling into their ships and launching as fast as they could without crashing into each other. Regina, Sherwood, Swan, and Blue all raced into their transport. Regina strapped herself in exosuit and all and was pleased to see none of her crew stopped to try and take it off. A mark of a seasoned solider, good. They'd need that. They were in a ship with minimal weapons. If whatever was coming at them was a fighter, they were going to damn well need experience to get through it.

Swan fired up the ship and they were out of the dock in record time, weaving through the fighters with ease.

"Should I head back to the ship, Captain," Swan asked, voice clipped.

Regina was about to say yes, but then the first calls of a sighting were coming through the radio. "No, stay in the middle of the pack and stay out of the way as much as you can. If we leave now we'll be sitting ducks."

Swan nodded tersely and navigated to a position in the middle of the pack among the new ships. Regina did not feel confident among the new pilots, but this was the safest place to be for them.

"Shots fired!" rang out from the radio.


	4. Chapter 4

Regina unhooked herself and walked forward, sitting down in the co-pilots seat and looking out the front window as she strapped herself in again. She saw the missiles flying toward the formation, or at least what she assumed were missiles. They didn't have the same signature as anything that she'd ever seen before and they were moving a hell of a lot faster.

"Someone get a lock on them!" Pots called out, voice harsh.

"I'm trying, but nothing is happening. It's like the computers can't see them!" Someone called back.

"God damn it, someone just aim then," Pots replied.

Immediately a few trial shots were sent out, trying to intercept the missiles coming after them. The missiles avoided everything that was sent at them. Smart missiles. Regina cussed under her breath. Something that could avoid other missiles fired at them would definitely lock onto a target and follow them until hit.

Regina hit her comms link. "Someone in one of the new ships, use one of the new weapons, everyone else save their shots until they're closer."

A few ships around them fired again, the new weapons easily avoiding friendly ships and flying out towards the enemy. Regina held her breath, waiting. They looked like they were on a crash course, she hoped they were on a crash course. She watched as they flew closer and closer, until suddenly they stopped. Regina blinked once, twice, not believing what she was seeing as the missiles that her ships had fired turned back on them and flew the way they came.

"What the hell just happened?" Regina barked out.

"They've turned against us, Captain. We lost control of them and now they're targeting us."

"How is that even possible?"

No one answered her.

"Evasive action, take out the ships that are firing these damn things and then we won't have to worry about anymore projectiles."

Ships scattered easily, engines blasting out, bright in the dark black of space. Regina felt the ship jerk under her and turned to see Swan doing her damn best to get the transport to maintain standard evasive maneuvers. They didn't have the protection of the pack now. Regina swallowed hard. They were the slowest ship out here. They would need a miracle.

Regna grabbed the controls. "Let go Swan, I've got the wheel," she bit out.

"Why don't you focus on commanding. I've got this."

"Shut up you idiot, I was a pilot for twenty years. If anyone is going to get us out of this, it will be me."

"No offense, your majesty, but when was the last time you were in the cockpit?" Swan banked hard right and Regina could feel the engines of the ship straining to keep up.

"Last fucking week, now let me have the damn controls before I have to knock you out, Swan!"

Swan growled but let go of the wheel and Regina pulled them out of the turn quickly, engaging the lifters and gaining altitude quickly. She looked over the screens, hoping against hope that nothing was tailing them and that none of her ships were around them. She spun them around and shot off the other direction. It was absolute chaos. Regina felt sweat trickling down her back, gathering on her palms.

"For God's sake does anyone have a lock on the enemy ships yet?" She barked out.

No one answered her, too wrapped up in their own maneuvers to reply. She let out another string of curses.

"Mal, if anyone on that damn ship wants to be of use anytime soon I'm sure we'd all fucking appreciate it!" She spun them around again, zig zagging as best she could in the damn ship that was little more than a tin can.

"Commander De Vil has been trying to get a clear shot on the enemy ships but with everyone moving around it's been impossible," Mal responded, a lot calmer than Regina.

Regina cursed a few more times just for the hell of it. And of course they couldn't use the new weapons that wouldn't hit friendly ships because whoever the hell was fighting against them could take control of them and turn them right back around. Great. Just fucking great.

"Find a god damn way! And for the love of god tell me that you have the shields up." Another sharp turn and one of the fighters just barely missed clipping them. Regina's breath rushed out all at once. At some point they were going to get hit if this didn't end soon. Utter chaos did not lend well to safe flying.

"Got one!" Someone crowed over the comm link. Regina saw the flash of fire a second later.

"How many are left?" She asked, looking out at the blast.

"Five," another person called. "I've almost got a lock on one, slippery bastards. Bitch your mine—" The transmission cut off in midsentence and there was another flash of fire. They'd lost their first soldier.

Regina gritted her teeth and kept the ship moving. Two days into the mission. She had to be the worst captain ever to lose someone two days into the mission. This was the enemies fault, she knew, but still there was guilt gnawing at her brain. If she hadn't commanded the drones to be sent out when she did, if she hadn't issued the command to pursue the ship, if, if, if. She growled.

The controls were ripped from her hands and the ship sank drastically a millisecond later. Regina felt the rumble of a ship passing overhead, missing them by inches. She jerked up to look at Swan with angry eyes.

"What the hell was that?" She asked, ripping the controls back and starting to steer once again.

"That was me saving our asses from being killed because you were too damn distracted to check your fucking screens. Jesus Christ, lady, why don't you say thank you like a normal person?" Swan said, sitting back in her chair and glaring at Regina.

"I will thank you when your help is asked for. I have this perfectly under control," Regina sniffed.

"Fucking right, sure you do. Why don't we just ask those two how handled you had it while they had their lives flashing before their eyes." She gestured over her shoulder to the two science officers in the back of the transport.

Regina didn't even bother to look. She had better things to do right now than to give into the whims of some warrant officer who had no idea what it really took to run a ship like this. She could lecture Regina on how to fix the damn engines, nothing else.

"Another one down!"

Regina swallowed. Four more to go. The battlefield in front of her was hazy with missiles and ships flying every which way. Surely those damn ships had to be running out of missiles. There were so many flying around that Regina didn't know how such a payload was possible. They were going to have a hell of a time getting back to the ship when this was all said and done just from the missiles.

One missile exploded right in front of them. Regina angled the nose down and the ship dived steeply. She hoped that the science officers in the back had refreshed their motion training before this mission. She did not want to have to deal with someone choking on their own vomit right now. Or better yet, she would send Swan since she had things to do.

Regina had to keep turning quickly to avoid other ships put in their course by the sudden dive. She cursed until she wasn't even sure what she was saying anymore, but it made her feel just the slightest bit better so she didn't care. More sweat dripped down her back and she felt absolutely disgusting at this point, but it didn't matter. If she survived this then there would be a shower in her future. If she didn't it wouldn't matter.

And then they were right in front of one of the enemy ships. Regina had never seen anything like it. It looked like one of their fighters had been morphed and remolded into something wholly new. She could see the elements of the original ship, but that was about all. And there was no cockpit, none. There were no windows at all. Regina couldn't even see where someone would get into the damn thing.

Unless there wasn't actually anyone in it. They had just gotten off a ship left stranded by a bunch of AI gone rouge. What was the likelihood that they had somehow evolved enough to create a ship like the one that was in front of her? It was fast, but then again AI didn't have to adhere to rules of reproduction like humans did and five years could mean a thousand different generations. And if that was true, God above they might be screwed.

"They're AI!" Regina shouted across the comm link as she sent the ship into another dive to get under the enemy ship, praying all along that the damn thing didn't send a missile after them. Who's fucking idea what it to not arm a transport with at least light weaponry? What a stupid god damn idea. She didn't care if she had to mod the damn things herself, but she was putting something on these ships when she got back.

"Got another!"

Regina prayed that the one that was just shot down was the one that she'd just flown under. She was praying for a lot of things in that moment. She wanted to get out alive, yes, but even more importantly she wanted Henry to get out of this alive. This was his very first fire fight and it was against AI modified ships that could do god knows what and had missiles more advanced than their own. Her baby boy. She would be lost without him. And it would be her fault.

"God damn it, someone shoot down the other three before the next century," Regina screamed.

"Regina, we've got an incoming!" Mal called.

"Deal with it! I'm a little busy!" She turned again and then up. Groans came from the back and Regina rolled her eyes. Looked like they hadn't reviewed their motion training after all.

"Swan, if they throw up you're deal with them."

"I don't know how I'm supposed to get to them when you're flying like this. It's no fucking wonder they're sick."

Regina glared at the woman from the side of her eyes. "How else would you like me to steer, damn it? I'm trying to keep us alive!" She swerved again just to prove her point.

"I got one, yeah!"

She swallowed. Two more to go.

"God damn it, we're not going to be alive if we choke on our own vomit," Swan snapped.

"If you really were serious about piloting these things you would have reviewed your motion training. Now fucking do what I ordered, I don't care how you do it. Help them if they need it!"

Emma grumbled under her breath but Regina paid her no mind as she kept on flying.

"Regina, we've taken another hit. The shields are at fifty percent. Whatever they're packing has a wallop. You need to shoot the bastards down!" Mal yelled.

"Damn it Mal, reroute power from nonessentials if you have to, just keep my damn ship intact!"

"We already are! It was the first thing I did when I saw what those bastards could do."

Regina swallowed. "Then prepare to jump and hold until a projectile is coming. You know what to do."

"Regina—"

"You can come back for us in a few hours, just do it! The ship is more important than the fighters and you damn well know it." She jerked the wheel hard enough to send the engines shuddering again. Regina cursed and pulled out of the turn. Too many turns like that and they wouldn't have engines.

"The exosuits don't have enough oxygen for more than eight hours," Swan said from her seat.

"And your point? Because I have so much time to entertain your musings right now, Swan."

"The procedure is to wait twelve hours before coming back if a ship has to leave their fighters in the field."

"Yes, nice to know you've been reading the manual. The fighters have an extra supply of oxygen for that reason. Surely you've stocked it a few times yourself. Son of a bitch!" She pulled hard to avoid another missile coming right for them.

"We don't have that extra oxygen."

"We're a transport ship, we have our own filters, or did you forget that?" She rolled her eyes. She did not have time to go over specs with a second rate mechanic right now.

"Right, but unlike the main ship transports need the engines to run those filters."

Regina didn't even bother to provide a response to that. They would have the damn engines what was her point? She shook it off and steered around a clump of wreckage.

"Which we won't have enough fuel if this lasts much longer. As fast as you've been going you're burning right through it."

Regina's eyes flicked down to the fuel gauge. Swan was right. They were at a fourth capacity. They had half an hour flying as they were. How long had they been out here already? It had felt like an eternity.

"One more down!" came over the radio.

"We'll be fine, Swan. There's only one more left."

The woman beside her was silent, but Regina could almost feel her thinking.

"I've lost steering!" a voice shouted. A second later the same voice continued. "No wait, the damn thing is steering itself. Autopilot isn't engaged."

"Are you on one of the new ships?" Regina asked, holding her breath. The new missiles had been used against them, what were the odds? She didn't want to think about that.

"Yes."

Oh god above she hoped that Henry wasn't in one of those ships. She prayed.

"Weapons menu open."

"Soldier, your ship number," Regina said calmly.

"94924."

She swallowed. "I'm sorry, soldier. Everyone fire at will at ship 94924." She couldn't take chances. Missiles fired and another explosion shown in Regina's windshield. "The rest of you in new ships turn them off completely. Rip out the electronics, I don't care what you have to do, just make sure they can't be used by that thing out there."

"Yes, Captain," a chorus of voices said.

"And get that damn last one before we lose anyone else!"

Regina's hands were gripped around the controls so hard she knew her fingers were bright white under the exosuit. She loved being captain sometimes as much as she hated it. And right now she hated it more than anything in the universe.

It was over a few minutes later. The last ship was shot down. Regina closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. It was over. But she didn't think it was over for good.

"Lieutenant Pots how many have we lost?" Regina asked, her voice rough from all the shouting now that she was speaking at a normal volume once more.

"Ten, I believe. We'll get the exact count when we land of course."

"I want the report an hour after landing."

"Yes, Captain."

"The rest of you, hook yourselves up to the new ships and tow them back. I don't want to risk anything right now."

A larger chorus of "Yes, Captain," met her orders.

"And Mal, bring down the shields and start the damage assessment."

"Already done."

Regina kicked herself mentally for addressing Mal by her name instead of her title, but right now the adrenaline was wearing off and her body was groggy and her mind a mess. Ten men on the second day. How in the world could she had prevented it? A thousand different possibilities surfaced in her mind and just made her that much more tired.

She relinquished the controls of the ship. "Swan, take us back." She unbuckled her belts and stood up and made her way to the back of the ship. She looked over Sherwood and Blue with a careful eye. "Are the both of you all right?"

They both nodded, but Blue looked a little green around the gills.

"Good, Blue, as soon as possible you should revisit your motion training. I know you aren't out of the ship much, but it's a good thing to have." Regina didn't even make it a command. She just slumped down in another seat and sighed out another long breath.

Swan took them back, ship moving at a pleasant speed for the first time in god knew how long. The comms link was mostly silent on the way back, only soldiers coordinating the towing of the new ships speaking. Regina allowed the quiet, sporadic drone of them to lull her into a thoughtless state.

The landing was smooth, she had to give Swan credit. She nodded at the woman who had annoyed her so damn much throughout the trip and exited the ship to stand on the landing bay as the rest of the fighters came in. She waited with her heart in her throat as she watched pilots hop out of their ships. She hadn't seen a familiar mop of brown hair yet. She needed to see him before she could go back to the bridge. She wouldn't be able to focus unless she knew for sure that Henry was ok.

Ships kept coming in, and she kept not seeing Henry. Her heart started to beat harder in her chest until finally her little boy climbed out of one of the new ships, pale and a little shaky, but alive. Regina couldn't help herself she ran over and hugged him hard. He hugged her back, wrapping himself around her smaller frame.

"You're ok?" Regina asked, pulling back and looking him over. She couldn't get a completely clear view of him with his exosuit on, but he was standing in front of her, and that was basically enough.

"Yeah, I am."

"Good." She forced herself to gather her wits. "Go debrief, but as soon as you're off shift I want to talk to you more, ok?"

"Sure, Mom, uh Captain."

She laughed for a few seconds, just a little tension dissipating. "You really do need to get better at that." She hugged him again before walking off towards the bridge. There was so much she had to do. The admiral was not going to be happy about what they had found, nor would he approve of the command Regina was about to give. They couldn't stay here. God knew if there would be more of those ships and they were hard enough to take down with just six of them. If there were more, in a larger group, she wouldn't want to see the outcome of that fight.

She reached up and ruffled his hair, not caring that she was getting sweat all over her hands. He was her baby boy. "I'll see you later, dear heart."

Henry made a face at her and fixed his hair quickly checking around him to make sure no one had really seen the embarrassing scene between he and his mother. Regina laughed again and turned. There was work to be done.


	5. Chapter 5

Five minutes later she was up in the bridge, still in the exosuit from the transport. She was barking orders as soon as her feet hit the deck. "Get me Commander Mer, tell her as soon as the jump is over I want an open line to the Admiral. He will be expecting my call. Whoever was in charge of initiating the jump while Commander Sherwood was gone, get on it. I want this ship out of this quadrant as soon as possible. I'm not waiting around for another ambush. Someone get on assessing the damage to the ship and give a report to maintenance. I want this ship running like new again in two days tops. If there is anything that can't be fixed in that time frame, either you are lying to me or we sustained more damage than I am aware, and I don't think that happened. All free hands with any mechanical knowledge that aren't assigned to maintenance will for the interim be assigned to fighter ship repair. I want our fleet back in fighting form just in case whatever those bastards were find us again. Commander Dracon, I want your report for the time I was gone on my desk in an hour. The rest of you return to your duties."

Everyone around her nodded and set straight to work. She felt the engines under her gearing up for another jump. She hoped Lieutenant Commander Arenndale was as good as she was last time. She wanted her engines ready to go as soon as they came out of hyperdrive. She did not want to stay still any more than she had to.

Mal walked up to her and handed her a datapad. "My report. I typed it up while you were on your way up. The damage shouldn't be anything major, the shields did hold for the most part. The most they're gonna have to fix is the wiring. A lot of power went through it fast to reroute in the time I allotted, but it was a damn good thing I did."

Regina nodded. "Also, Mal, get in touch with Commander Midas after everything has calmed down. I want Chief Warrant Officer Swan cleaning toilets for a week after all the fighters are fixed."

Mal cocked an eyebrow. "Oh wow, she piss you off that bad?"

Regina waved her off. "She was insubordinate. It's nothing unusual, you know that."

"Fair enough, but usually you start with a couple days of toilet duty. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure that this ship would have the shiniest commodes of the entire fleet."

"I'm not that bad." Regina's hand came up and massaged the bridge of her nose. "Get the complete list of the dead from Pots. I might as well relay that to the Admiral while I'm on message."

Mal nodded.

"Five minutes until jump, all personnel report to secure locations," came over the comm link a second later.

"Start the arrangements for their funerals and have the chaplains on hand if anyone needs to talk." Regina slumped into her seat.

Mal nodded again and walked off across the bridge to talk.

The seconds ticked by until the jump. Regina watched the screens carefully, looking for any sign of enemy activity, but there were none, which simultaneously relieved her and put her on edge all over again. Wherever those ships had come from had to be close. They weren't big enough to have warp engines, not even with advanced technology, or at least anything that could have been invented in the last five years, working nonstop. So if they were close, why weren't there more of them. Certainly they had to know that their comrades had been shot down. Why weren't they attacking while the enemy was weak?

She tapped her fingers against her arm rest, staring out the front window as the two minute warning for the jump sounded. Mal sat down in her chair to Regina's right side.

"Everything is set in motion."

Regina nodded. "Good." She bit her lip. "I want double watches set from here on out. It'll run us thin, but it will be worth it, I think."

"You expecting another attack?"

Regina hummed her affirmation. "We're ten ships down with another large part of our fleet unusable because they can control the ships. They have to be close, and they have to know these things. Why not exploit the weakness?"

"Maybe we aren't the real targets."

Regina's hand came up to rub at her neck. "No, perhaps we aren't. We small time comparted to who they would send out here after we reported back, but then why not wait to attack until they were here? It wouldn't make sense to scare us off before that. Nothing right now makes sense and I trust it about as much as I trust a two faced Pixlemin."

Mal winced at the comparison. "All right. I'll give the orders."

"After I talk to the Admiral make sure we go full dark, too. I don't want them to be able to track us through our transmissions."

"What if we need to call for backup?"

"By that time they'll have already found us and it will be moot."

Mal let out a breath. "Just another day in the Directive, huh?"

"Yes, just another ordinary day."

"Ten seconds to jump," the comm link interrupted their conversation.

Regina quickly strapped in and waited until she was pressed back against the seat for the second time in two days. She felt the breath pressed from her, felt the adrenaline flow through her sluggishly. She wasn't sure she had much left after that fight, but apparently her body still had at least some to give. And then it was over a few seconds later.

She doubled clicked her comm link. "Lieutenant Commander Arenndale."

"Yes, Captain."

"The engine is ready to go now, yes?"

"Of course, why wouldn't it be."

"You know exactly why it wouldn't be ready, if anyone else in the world was in that engine room. But thank you, lieutenant." She clicked off and turned back to Lieutenant Fa. "Resume our regular trajectory, but two hundred knots faster than normal pace. I don't want them knowing where we are if they calculate the jump." She turned to Blue. "And the planets around us, I want you to go through all them and flag them as you see fit. In this case safe is better than sorry. Get the drones here as soon as possible, but don't let them take any predictable path. If one detects that it's being followed destroy it."

The woman nodded. "Yes, Captain."

"And Commander Mer should be getting me the Admiral. Put that call through directly to me when it comes." She unbuckled her belt and sat forward, putting her arms on her legs, leaning so her head was down and her hair was hanging in front of her face. She scrunched her eyes closed for just a minute, taking deep breaths. She needed just one moment to let everything out so she could make it through this phone call with a stoic face, to make it through the rest of her shift without blinking before she issued commands that were necessary. Later, when she was alone she could slug back a tumbler of something strongly alcoholic and fall apart more, but for now she was the Captain of the Rocinante in the Interstellar Directive and Captains did not waver.

She sat up again, face set in its normal mask. She didn't have to wait long for the call to come up on her personal screen.

"Captain, I'm going to ask this once calmly and I expect a full answer, why are your coordinates different? I thought your orders were very clear. You were supposed to wait for a crew sent from home base to meet you there to take the ship back before you continued on. Was that not clear because I thought it was very clear."

"The situation changed, Admiral."

He interrupted her before she could go on. "I'm not seeing how the situation changed so much to call for a jump that far. Not only was it against your orders, but it is irresponsible to your mission as a whole to patrol the outer border. There's not a large chunk of space that won't be gone over for another month. You are smart enough to realize what a month could mean to a resistance force?"

"I am aware, sir. But if you would let me explain exactly why issued those orders perhaps this talk could be much more informative." She probably shouldn't have snarked like that, but she didn't care a great deal at the moment.

"I'm listening, but it have better be damned good, Captain." The man sat back and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Sir, you sent us there to recover the AI. My soldiers boarded the ship with the express mission of finding the men on the ship and helping them since they were not aware of the AI on the ship. What they found instead was a completely empty ship. They of course explored more and checked the captain's log. Which then showed that the AI were the ones who had killed the men on the ship, and commandeered the vessel for their own uses. Their programming, to protect the United Systems, something must have gone wrong because they believe that only they can protect the Systems and that the Directive is in the way of their goal. The next entry said that the ship was no longer of use for them and that they were leaving. That is how we found the ship. An engine tech and my science officers tried to bring the ship back online but the AI had sabotaged the ship as well. Then at that point ships approached us and we were engaged in a battle these ships were AI, sir, they were not ordinary ships. They could control our more advanced weaponry and turn it on us, and they could control the new class of ships as well. We had our entire fleet out there for six ships and we still lost ten men, including one which I had to command our fleet to shoot him down because the enemy had control of his ship and was gearing up to attack the rest of us. I issued the command to jump because we do not have the resources to fight these AI and the ship was a loss for anything that you truly wanted it for. There was no reason to stay. I jumped this far because I do not want them to find us. Is that a good enough reason, sir?" Regina narrowed her eyes at the admiral.

"Do you have proof of that, Captain?" The Admiral's nostrils flared.

"I can forward you every single pilot's report once they are done, along with my report and my executive officer's, if that's proof enough for you. If not, sir, I wasn't exactly concerned with collecting evidence to support my story while flying a transport ship in the middle of a fire fight and trying to keep two of my best science officers and my best fighter mechanic alive."

"You best be careful with your words, Captain. I won't take insubordination."

Regina glared at the man for a long moment. "Forgive me, Admiral, I just wasn't aware today was going to be a fight for my life, nor was I aware that I was going to lose ten of my men. I believe that would put anyone in a slightly cross mood."

"You are a Captain in the Directive and you should know damn well that you have to reign those emotions in."

"Should I? My men were killed because I didn't have enough information to run the mission. And while I'm aware that some of that is no one's fault, I can't help but feel the possibility of the AI being able to evolve past their programming was left out rather intentionally. You could say I was supposed to assume such a thing, but there is an old saying about assuming, Admiral."

The older man growled. "Don't you try to pin this on me. We all know where the blame will come down if anyone pushes the issue."

"Oh, there's no pushing of the issue from my side, sir, just making sure that my thoughts on the issue are known. I'm in charge of the lives of twenty thousand people, and I take that damn seriously."

She saw the muscles in the Admiral's jaw clench hard. "Fine, Captain," he practically spat the last word. "Continue on your planned route for now. Send me all the reports of your men for today. They will be reviewed and further action will then be assessed and orders issued."

"Admiral, I'm planning on going full dark after this transmission. I do not want that jump to be in vain. I don't want them to find us because we got sloppy and left our communications signal open."

"You will turn on your signal in two days' time for further orders a 1600 hours and that is an order."

Regina clenched her fist. "Very well, sir. In two days then."

"Good. And Captain, don't even think that if I don't find those reports to agree with what you said that I will go easy on you. Insubordination at your rank has a great many consequences."

"I'm well aware, sir." She felt her nails pierce her palm. Regina held in the hiss of pain. Damn, she was going to have to go down to med bay to get bandages after this.

"As long as we understand each other." And with that he cut out.

Regina stood up quickly, knocking the screen away. Son of a bitch.

Mal walked over, concern in her eyes, but face still smooth. "Bad?"

"He's an arrogant ass like always." She opened her fist, wincing as a bit of blood dropped to the floor. She'd done a number on herself. She was more off balance than she thought, but then again after a day like today was it really unexpected? "Gather all the reports from today and send it out quickly before I give the order to cut off communications. After those files are gone tell Fa to increase the speed again and then we'll go full dark. The soldiers have an hour to write up everything unless they are injured and then they are excused."

"Yes, Captain." Mal nodded.

"And take the command for a few minutes. I need to go to med bay obviously."

"Go, I've got the command."

Regina looked at Mal for a long second before sighing and tuning. Her mind was not quiet as she walked down the halls towards the med wing. She hoped that there were few of her men than needed attention. She didn't want to take attention away from them for something stupid she could have helped if she had better self-control. The Admiral had always had a way of getting under her skin. Probably because he reminded her of her years with her mother. He had always been hanging around, always with his fingers in a different pie, almost as control as Cora had been and just as smug about it too. The only comfort that Regina had was that he would have to die eventually, but every day before that day was going to drag, especially now that she had attracted his attention again.

Her fist clenched and this time she couldn't suppress the hiss of pain. God damn it, she needed to get a grip on herself. She hadn't gotten to be a Captain by displaying subpar control of her emotions. She took in a deep breath. She would just go to the gym after her shift was over and after she talked to Henry once more. She would work off her frustration in a healthy way. Or at least healthier. She could already feel her thighs aching tomorrow from how hard she would probably work herself. But whatever the price was, she would pay it. Sore muscles would go away, bad decisions would not.

She nodded to herself as she walked into the med bay. Only a couple of pilots were on bed, looking bruised from being tossed around the cockpit, but nothing worse, it seemed. Regina breathed out a small sigh of relief. Good, no one had been severely injured then. They needed everyone they could on deck just in case the Admiral's idiotic orders got them in trouble again.

Commander Johnson walked up to her, a frown on her face. "Captain, are you here to check on those from the battle or are you here for yourself?" Her dark brown eyes scanned Regina and stopped on her blood covered hand. "Ah, yourself. Come on, I'll attend to you then."

"It's nothing, have one of your aides do it. You have more important people to worry about." Regina's eyes coasted over to the pilots in their beds.

"They already have people looking after them, Captain. They aren't anything serious, trust me. And as Commander of Health Services on this ship, it's actually in my job description to take care of the medical needs of the Captain, or had you forgotten?"

Regina let out a breath. "Three ships later and yet you still make me feel like a five year old being scolded, Tamara." She frowned.

"Doctors have a good way of doing that." She tugged them over to an exam table and pulled Regina's hand out, moving her fingers gently. The doctor poked around gently. "These aren't deep."

"Shouldn't be, they're just fingernail marks."

"What got you this flustered, another foreign dragon?"

"I would have rather dealt with a dragon than who I was talking to."

Tamara hummed. "I see, higher ups then. Go wash your hands off, no soap, just scrub the blood off so I can see everything better."

Regina hopped off the table and washed her hands off carefully, holding her face in a neutral expression even though she rather wanted to curse to the high heavens. She was an idiot. A minute later she sat back on the exam table and presented her hand to Tamara once more.

"You're an idiot." Tamara shook her head and turned to get the disinfectant and bandages. "And you've done a number on yourself. It'll be at least a week and half for these to heal completely even with regenerator on them. You're lucky you didn't do more damage. Trim your damn finger nails next time."

"Yes, because that is what I'm thinking about right before talking to Admiral."

"Should be, or have you forgotten that time I walked by your door a few years back when you were yelling loud enough to wake half the damn system?" Tamara arched an eyebrow and went back to bandaging Regina's hand.

Regina growled. "I still don't know what you were doing in my wing that night."

"Have you heard of walks? They're therapeutic. Maybe you should take one."

"Shut up and bandage my hand."

"Uh huh, take the doctor for granted." She smeared a clump of regenerator on Regina's cuts.

Regina bit her lip hard at the hot stinging feeling. "You didn't mix that with lidocaine."

"A little hurt to remind you not to do stupid shit won't permanently maim you." Tamara glanced up and her and shrugged.

"What happened to do no harm?"

"Went out the window when I decided a Directive doctor was what I wanted to do with my life. Sometimes all you idiots will listen to is a bit more pain to drive the lesson home."

"I think you're exaggerating."

"Uh huh, tell me that after you've treated at least thirty teenage boys for injuries from their own making."

Regina scoffed. "Isn't the pain and humiliation from injuring themselves enough?"

Tamara chuckled darkly as she finally pulled out bandages and placed them over the cuts. "You would think, but the second time I find them in here a little extra pain keeps them from coming in a third time."

"That has to be unethical."

"Mhm, but no way to prove it. Oops, I'm so sorry but my hand slipped I'll have to redo that stitch, don't you worry it'll be over quickly."

Regina pulled her hand back as Tamara secured the bandage. "If I didn't know you were the best damn doctor in the fleet I'd report you."

Tamara smirked. "Why do you think I'm the best?"

"I can't tell if you want to be the best to protect you from your own immoral practices or if you're the best because of them."

"Isn't that the mystery?" Tamara stood up. "The ones who get injured legitimately, through accidents that were just that, accidents, or combat wounded, you know I don't mess around with them. I just don't suffer fools."

"I just make them run extra laps or scrub toilets. A little less immoral." Regina scrunched her face and pushed off the exam table. "But it still gets the job done."

"You have your methods and I have mine." She shrugged. "But I believe you have a ship to command Captain, and I have patients to attend to. Shoo."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I believe I'm the one who gives orders here. But you make a fair point. Try not to maim anyone." She turned and exited the med bay. Being in the Directive for so long definitely exposed her to interesting people, the brochure had been right about that.


	6. Chapter 6

The time passed quickly and the end of her shift finally came. She bit her lip, reluctant to leave, but she knew that she would be useless if she wasn't rested and she ordered her crew to alert her at the first sign of something wrong. They were in full dark mode now, travelling faster than regulation. To anyone looking in all the normal places they wouldn't be there. She hoped that protected them.

She walked to her rooms, expecting to find Henry already there, but her little boy wasn't there draped across three chairs in her little dining area like normal. She huffed. He'd probably gotten involved in his work and forgotten the time. Like mother like son she supposed.

Regina exited her rooms and made her way back down to the flight deck for the second time that day.

* * *

The flight deck was chaotic, as it well should be. Regina nodded at those she passed. It comforted her greatly that the ships were already being repaired. She looked off towards the corner where all the new ships had been parked once they were landed. No one was working on them. It was a smart division of labor, really. Regina would have to commend whoever thought of it. Unless it was Swan. Then she was just stoically nod as always. No one could claim she was being unfair. The thought brought a smirk to her face.

She walked up and down the rows of fighters, looking for her son, but not finding him. She frowned. He had to be here somewhere. Best just to ask.

She flagged down one of the warrant officers. She didn't know his name, but she recognized his face from the files, scruffy, looked like he should be more at home in the forest than on a space ship.

"What can I do for you Captain?" He asked with a lazy smile.

She smiled back, but only out of courtesy. "I'm looking for Ensign Mills, have you seen him?"

"Oh yeah, he's by his fighter, Emma was showing him how to fix some basic things on it. Kid was real interested. Nice to see that in a pilot, really."

Regina frowned. "Ah, I see, and his ship would be?"

"Two rows over, second on the left."

"Thank you, Officer."

"No problem."

Regina walked swiftly to the end of the row and over. Why in the world was Henry hanging out with that buffoon? She took a deep breath. Henry was his own man, he could associate with whoever he wanted, but perhaps not her. He didn't know what she had done during the fire fighter, though. She would just explain it to him and surely he would see reason. He was her son after all.

When she walked up to the plane she saw immediately why she'd missed him the first time. He was up under the plane, most of his body obscured. Of Swan there was really only a pant leg visible. What in the world was the woman doing?

"Henry?"

She heard a thump and then a muted sound of pain. Regina stepped under the wing and looked up. Henry was holding his head and rubbing it.

"Are you all right?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, Captain, you just startled me and I hit my head. Nothing big." He smiled at her, the same smile he'd always aimed at her when he wanted to charm his way out of anything.

"As long as you're sure." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You were off shift almost an hour ago, soldier, what are you still doing here?"

His eyes widened. "Oh crap, really?" He looked down at his wrist brace and looked back up with a sheepish expression. "Sorry, lost track of time."

Regina shook her head with a fond expression on her face. "I can't say much. It's genetic."

"Wait, what's up kid, you saying something?" Emma's head popped back out, a smudge of grease on her face. It would be cute on anyone else, but it just made Regina's lips curl. Couldn't she manage to be civilized about anything?

"Oh, hey, Captain. Come to ask for the status of repairs already? We've only had half a day and I haven't gotten my end of shift report yet, so I really can't tell you much other than everyone's working their asses off."

Regina frowned harder. "No, I have not come for your report. I've come for Ensign Mills. He and I had an appointment to meet after our shifts ended."

Swan looked at Henry and then back at Regina. Her face scrunched for just a second before it smoothed out in understanding. "Oh shit, you're her kid, aren't you? Nice, that should have been fun."

Regina's fists clenched. "Whatever do you mean, Officer Swan?" If one word came out of the woman's mouth about her parenting, or what she thought she knew about her parenting, she would send her out the damn air lock, consequences be damned. Or perhaps more realistically she would just assign Swan mopping duty on top of toilet duty, maybe even dish duty after that. Granny always did like help.

"Oh, I just meant that it must have been cool to be around everything when he was younger." She shrugged awkwardly still in the confines of the plane. "Would've been a whole different view than I got. Engine rooms aren't super-duper interesting when you're seven, but fighters always are.

Henry nodded. "Oh yeah, it was great."

The Captain bit back any comments she might have had. Swan had saved herself admirably and Henry was smiling and relaxed. She wouldn't ruin the moment completely.

"I see. Well, Henry, if you're done for now why don't we grab dinner and take it back to my quarters?" Regina asked, hoping against hope that Henry got the message and actually hurried up and left.

"Yeah, sure, Captain." He nodded at her and looked up at Swan. "I can help out tomorrow too if you need."

"Sure, kid. All hands on deck right now, Captain's orders." She smirked at Regina.

Regina scowled but said nothing.

"Awesome, see you at shift start them."

"Bye, kid, Captain." She nodded once more before she disappeared back into the body of the plane.

Regina turned and by the time she'd taken two steps Henry had caught up with her. "I didn't know you were interested in the repair side of fighter operation," she said mildly.

Henry shrugged, still mostly lanky limbs, but he was starting to truly fill out now. Her little boy had already grown up, true, but it still sent a zing through her to see the evidence.

"Well I did need something to do because a certain Captain ordered all hands on deck. But then I thought it was good to know just in case, you know? Then it's actually interesting. Fixing a plane is like a puzzle." His eyes lit up.

"Then why didn't you take the maintenance for pilots class when you were at the academy?"

"Didn't know it was actually interesting until I stumbled into it. Definitely better than hauling around the broken parts to the recycler."

At that Regina laughed and started to loosen up a bit more. "So, you just happened to stumble into the job that didn't require heavy lifting, how surprising."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well. Which one would you rather do?"

"I think I would take hauling junk over talking to Swan for any length of time. A whole ship's full of junk, maybe more."

Henry turned to her as they continued down the hall. "Why? Emma's not that bad. She's actually cool."

She hummed noncommittally. "I don't think so. You weren't stuck in a ship with her during the fire fight. And she was rather insubordinate while we were there. I did not appreciate it, or her attitude. In fact after all this is over I believe toilet duty is in order for her."

He sucked in a breath. "So that's what she meant earlier."

Regina zeroed in on that comment instantly. "What do you mean?"

Henry's eyes widened. "Um, nothing, she just said that you were being difficult earlier."

"Henry Daniel Mills you do not lie to me, not as your Captain and most assuredly and more importantly not as your mother." Regina cocked an eyebrow at him as they reached her quarters and she tapped the scanner. It scanned over her as she continued to look at Henry who looked more uncomfortable by the second.

"Mom, I can't just go around telling you what everyone says about you. They wouldn't trust me. And you always told me that your fellow shipmates trusting you was the most important thing."

"Of course you would listen to that." The door whooshed open and she stepped through, Henry right behind.

"I listen to you all the time."

"Uh huh, and what about those times that I told you to clean your room and yet somehow I still ended up doing it?"

"Mom, that was years ago! I was like eight!" He scowled, blushing just the slightest bit.

"And yet some things never change, dear. What do you want to eat?"

Henry's eyes lit up as he followed her into the small kitchen. "What about that one dish from Borigas Prime?"

Regina smiled. "Somehow I knew you'd say that." She pulled a few things from the fridge and set to work. As her knife sliced threw a few of the vegetables, she looked back up at her son. "Now, what did Swan say?"

Henry groaned and put his head in his hands. "Can't you let it go? Please?" He shot her puppy dog eyes. "She's actually really cool and I really don't want her to get something worse than toilet duty."

"Oh, she already has that, Henry. Do you want to join her? You know I don't tolerate liars, even by omission."

"Fine, she said you had your head so far up your ass that you couldn't listen to reason, but that you were a damned fine pilot and probably saved their asses. Still, that didn't make up for you being such a bitch about it. Are you happy now?"

"I am satisfied, yes." Her knife hit the cutting board with a bit more force than was necessary. Arrogant ass of a woman. Did she think she knew what it took to command a ship and keep everyone alive? Because it certainly seemed like she thought she did. She took a deep breath and reigned herself in. There was no need to go to the med bay twice in one day. God even knew what Tamara would put her through if that happened.

"What are you going to do to her?"

Regina sighed. "Perhaps nothing, since she did say it to you without knowing that you are my son. It is an issue of free speech and I'm not a dictator. That does not mean, however, that what she did say to my face will be disregarded in any way."

Henry relaxed. "Ok, fair enough. You want any help?"

Regina shook her head. Cooking always calmed her and after a day like today she needed all the calm she could get. "Thank you though, dear."

"Welcome."

Regina looked up at him. "Are you sure that you are all right?"

"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine. I had a couple close calls, but the older guys helped out a lot."

Regina hummed. "Good. Somehow I imagined your first fire fight much…calmer?"

Henry snorted. "A fire fight. Calmer. Mom, do you even hear what you say sometimes?"

She tilted her head to the side. "We are in the Directive, dear. Everything is relative to that." She turned around and threw some of the chopped up vegetables into a pan with some oil. They sizzled for a few seconds as she stirred them around. "Besides, you already know the story of my first fight. Was it not much more tame than fighting a bunch of ships that are overgrown AI systems?"

Something clicked in Henry's eyes. "So that's what was wrong with them. The ships didn't look right."

Regina hummed and stirred in the next batch of vegetables. "Yes, I'm sure what the group who went in saw will be around the ship shortly. Gossip always travels fast. That ship was taken over by AI systems gone awry. They left after they exhausted the resources a few years ago. Turns out reengineering themselves is what they've been doing in the interim, if those ships are anything to go by. I'm sure the more clever pilots will have already put that together. However, the AI was technically level five classified. I was only let in on everything once I reported to command that we'd found the ship. It's not so classified anymore." A small satisfied look crept its way onto her face. She was feeling just the smallest bit rebellious and command and the Admiral could not say anything about it. Her men had found out through no fault of her own.

"And it was why they could control our ships and missiles, they already knew the codes to hack in."

"That is my prevailing thoughts on the matter yes." She grabbed a can of broth from one of the cabinets and opened it, pouring it slowly into the now softened vegetables. She set the lid on top of the pot and set it to simmer as she pulled out another pan and grabbed Prime apro from the fridge. She cubed the meat and slid it into the now hot pan.

"You think there's any way we could prevent that from happening?" Henry's brow was scrunched, firmly in planning mode. Regina looked on, proud, as Henry tried to work through the same problems she was. Perhaps the different perspective would help. God knows if the Admiral's idiotic orders was enough to get them caught in a day's time then she was going to need all that she could get.

"I'm not sure. If would take a whole system rewrite, I would think. If they know the codes then that would have to be scrubbed. And even then, they are AI and learn at an incredible pace. They could relearn everything that we've changed and we'd be back at square one."

Henry tapped his fingers against the counter. "Ok, but what about the older fighters and missiles makes it so they can't hack in?"

"Too old, the system they're designed off of was probably a precursor to the ones that now run the new ships. It's like trying to play a vidchip on a datapad. They're technologies from different eras."

"Do you think that they could retrofit themselves with the old tech and eventually be able to hack the old fighters. If they could do that then they could probably hack the bigger ships too and that would be…catastrophic."

"I don't know. I don't know enough about that tech to form an answer. I'd have to ask a science officer who specialized in tech." A lead weight settled in her stomach. Henry had a point, if there was motivation to learn how to hack into the older systems, then they would eventually. "If they could do that it would take a longer time. From what I do know they are in two different languages. They run on something more complicated obviously. I wonder if it would be too simple for them to understand, sort of like when you go up through the harder, theoretical math classes you forget how to add, except worse."

Henry shrugged. "No idea. Is there any way you can get access to the original program used to activate them?"

Regina laughed bitterly. "Henry, this is the Directive we're talking about. I'll get that information about a month before the public does in twenty years. I was lucky that I got the information that there was AI on that ship at all. Admiral Isaacs is already out for my head because he didn't believe me about what happened." She poked the meat in the pan. Almost cooked all the way through, but not quite. Perfect. She scooped out the meat, leaving the drippings in the bottom of the pan, plopping the chunks of meat into the pot with the vegetables. She started grabbing down spices and sprinkling small amount of them into the pan the meat had just cooked in with a splash more broth.

He huffed out a breath. "Right then. So it's all just going to be guessing. I know how much you love that."

Regina hummed but said nothing more. They sat in silence for a while, while Regina continued to cook. When she reached a point in the prep that allowed her to step back for a few minutes she turned around and leaned against the counter.

"But enough about that, how are you getting on, really?"

"It's fine Mom." He rolled his eyes but smiled fondly. "It's mostly just like the academy all over again, but this time I'm actually in space and with different people for the first time in four years. They're all cool and I'm making friends. That's what you wanted to hear right?"

Regina nodded. "It is, but I don't want you to tell me these things just because they're what I want to hear."

"They're true. I think I know better than to lie to you after all this time."

"Fair enough." She stepped forward and ruffled his hair. "But there's no detail in that description. How about stories, have anything funny to tell me?" She smiled as Henry thought for just a second before cracking a huge smile and launching into a story.

Dinner between them passed quickly and Henry stayed to help clean up. She sent him off not long after. They both needed to get sleep just in case her worst fears played out. Regina settled down after a shower, staring out at the darkness of her room and prayed that nothing happened, but when she fell asleep her dreams of fire fights and explosions wouldn't leave her alone.


	7. Chapter 7

The alarm sounded in the middle of the night. Regina was up and dressed within the first minute. She sprinted to the bridge as Lieutenant Nova called everyone to their battle stations on the comm link. Regina's stomach felt like it was twisting itself into knots. They had jumped a fair distance away and taken other measures not to be found. How in the world did they find them so fast?

She took a deep breath. It didn't have to be the AI. It could be something else. They were on the Border after all. It could just be some raiders who'd gotten stupidly cocky. But then again for a small fleet of raiders the whole ship wasn't put on red alert.

Regina burst onto the bridge with Mal right behind her. "Status report!" they both barked at the same time. Regina glanced at her second in command for half a second and nodded before turning back to the situation at hand.

Lieutenant Nova stepped forward, looking more frazzled than normal. "Captain, we picked up the signature of ten vessels of unknown origin and size heading towards us fast about two minutes ago. As far as we can tell they match the signatures of the AI vessels from last time."

"Son of a bitch." Ten of them. They had barely gotten out of it with six. "What are the status of the repairs? How many of our fighters do we have to send out?"

"At last count only half of the older ones were cleared to go out," Nova responded.

God above how in the world could it get any worse? She didn't want the answer to that question. "Send out the best pilots we have. Tell Lieutenant Dracon she's going out in dragon form this time. They can't hack that form. Load the ships that can go out only with the older missiles. Those who are left behind are to help the flight crew with repairs and everyone is to work on the fucking double. I want as many ships in the air as possible as soon as possible. Pull everyone you can and set them to repair work. If their battle stations aren't weaponry, shield maintenance, or engine work, get them down there," Regina's commands were rapid fire as she approached her seat, looking over the screens in front of her, surveying the image of ten ships getting closer and closer to them.

"Five minutes out!" Someone called.

Five minutes wasn't near enough time, but then again when was there enough time in the middle of a fire fight? "For god's sake someone figure out how they found us so quickly! If we have to jump again I don't want them finding us the next time." Regina shouted above the din.

She turned to Mal. "I might need you to go out as well. Ten ships with over half our fighters down, we're going to need something to even the odds."

Mal nodded. "Just say the word and I'll be out."

"Just for god's sake come back when you need to. I don't want you dead."

Mal looked at the screen beside them. "I come back too early and we all might be dead."

Regina said nothing to that. Mal was right in a way.

"Captain! There's new activity on the edge of our radar," one of the science officers called.

Regina looked over again and sucked in a breath. A ship, a big one, was just coming into view. "Someone get me specifics on what the hell that is. I want them five minutes ago."

"What are the odds that that's their mother ship?" Mal asked, voice low as they watched the large dot move towards them at a slower pace than the fighters, but still at a good clip.

"Very good, but why bring the mother ship anywhere near the fight?" Regina's fingers tapped against her chin.

"Maybe they want to talk?"

Regina turned to her second command. "About what? They want to eliminate us. What is there to talk about?"

"Plans can change."

"Not to anything that we will like."

Mal laughed without humor. "I didn't say anything about that, now did I?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"No, I don't suppose you did."

"Captain! As far as our scanners can tell it's a ship somewhere around Queen class size, but it's not one of the Directive's. The signature is different and doesn't match up with anything we've seen before, but I suppose that's to be expected."

Regina nodded at the soldier. "Any readings on how many could be on the ship?"

"We don't have a way to track AI, but it does seem like their might be a human presence on the ship. The life support systems are working, that much we can get off the signature. Why would a ship full of AI burn the fuel to keep it up otherwise?"

"Why in the world would they have humans with them?" Mal asked.

Regina looked back and shook her head. "They don't like the directive, that doesn't mean they would team up with up with other species, humans included, if it got them to their mission objective."

"So what do we do?" Mal asked.

"If they're working with the AI, the answer is simple."

"But how do we know that they're working with the AI and not just captures?"

Regina bit her lip. "That is that hard part." She scrubbed her hands through her hair, still loose. She hadn't taken the time to put it up once the alarm sounded. "I would assume that anyone with them is working with them. We saw what they did to the ship's crew. I don't think they are much for prisoners, but I am not sure."

Mal hummed. "And of course if we don't know we can't act."

"Civilians always complicate things."

The dots were two minutes out now and still moving fast. The big ship was maybe ten minutes out.

"What is the status of the launch?" Regina barked out.

"The launch bay has been cleared. The first fighters should be out within the minute."

Regina scowled they were cutting it too damn close. "What the hell is going on down there? Don't they know that alarms mean to hurry the fuck up?"

"They're working as fast as they can, Captain, but there's a lot going on down there," someone called out, Regina didn't turn to see who it was.

"And there isn't a lot going on up here? No excuses. I don't want another damn hit on our shields." Regina looked at Mal. "What was the status of the repairs on the shields?"

"Not great, they maybe bought us another fifteen percent, but we've got one, maybe two more hits in us before they're down and everything's fried with them."

Regina looked towards the ceiling. "We can't spare a line of fighters to defend us. Get Commander De Vil and tell her to man as many of the guns as she can, and she better damn well be on the biggest. She's the best shot we have. Anything that's new tech is off limits."

"We can't put up the shields if we do that."

"They aren't doing us a lot of good even if we do put them up. Better to be able to fire back than fire out all the damn systems, don't you think."

Mal frowned but nodded. She stepped away and double tapped her comm link to talk to Commander De Vil.

One minute out.

"First fighters have launched. Second round in fifteen seconds," another officer called out.

Regina watched the dots appear on her screen, flying out fast to meet the incoming ships. Projectiles started flying almost instantly from her fighters. She held her breath, waiting for one to hit, any of them at all, but none were. If anything, it seemed like the enemy fighters were wasting their ammo blocking the shots instead of returning fire. Regina stepped closer to the screen and squinted. But why in the world would they be doing that?

Another wave of her fighters launched. "Last round in fifteen seconds."

She looked at the screen at the dots color coded to match their ship's color. There weren't nearly enough ships out there, and she didn't think it would change with another wave. She glanced over. The mother ship was seven minutes out now. She didn't even want to know what they could have hidden weapon wise on a ship that size.

Mal stepped back beside her. "Commander De Vil was already sitting at the Junli laser when I called. Her best shots are all at their stations ready to fire when you give the command."

Regina nodded. She gestured towards the screen. "What does it look like they're doing to you?"

Mal looked for a few long seconds, eyes tracing over the ships and the little blips that were missiles. Her face grew confused. "Are they…blocking?"

Regina nodded. "That's what I thought too."

"Why would they be doing that?" Mal looked at Regina, blue eyes scrunched in thought.

"Your guess is as good as mine." She looked at the mother ship, getting closer by the second. "If I had to guess." She tapped on the dot. "It has to do with that ship. Either they have a weapon that will destroy us in one fell swoop or…they're coming to talk with us. Which doesn't make sense with the video we saw, but otherwise it concurs with blocking missiles."

The last wave launched and Regina stood by and continued to watch the fight, dots on the radar traveling so very quickly.

"What do we do if they want to talk?" Mal asked.

"I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them under regular gravity conditions."

"That much is a given, dear. So you're saying no talking with them at all?"

Regina thought that over for a few seconds. "No, I think we should meet them, if only to see what it is they could possibly want, but there will have to be a number of precautions taken before that happens."

"Neutral ground with fighters on standby?"

Regina nodded. "And The Rocinate ready to jump again, at the very least."

"Do you want to tell the fighters to hold off?"

The mother ship was five minutes out now. Regina waved down all the screens and looked out the front windows to see a black dot getting larger and larger by the second.

"Someone tell me if they have any weapons deployed on that thing!" Regina yelled.

"Scans are saying no, Captain," Lieutenant Nova said, coming up beside Regina. "But that's for regular weaponry. We don't have any idea if they've got something new that doesn't give off one of the frequencies scanned for."

"Call off half of the fighters with strict orders if the other ships start to fire to redouble their attack. If the fighting diminishes we'll have our answer."

Mal nodded and issued the orders quickly. Immediately the flares of missiles dimmed somewhat. Regina didn't see any of the enemy ships firing except to defend themselves. She swallowed hard, lead in her stomach weighing her down.

"I guess that's our answer. Call off the rest of them, but tell them to hold their positions, fingers on the trigger."

Another second passed and fighters on both sides stilled, floating in the middle of space, calm as calm could be.

"Who are we sending to talk with these bastards?" Mal asked, looking out at the enemy ship still approaching, but slowing down now.

"If they know anything about us, they will want me to go. Why talk to an underling when you can talk to the Captain herself."

"And me?"

Regina shook her head. "No, you need to stay here just in case this all goes south. You're the only one I trust to get this ship out of here in one piece." She looked over at Nova. "No offense to any of the rest of you, but experience is life's greatest teacher."

Nova nodded. "Of course, Captain."

"I want the repairs of the fighters to continue on at top speed."

"Do you want one made ready for you and whoever else is going?"

Regina frowned. "If they want peaceful talks a fighter will send the wrong message."

"But you have to be able to defend yourself!" Mal scowled.

"Get someone to outfit a transport with missiles, and keep them hidden. I'm not going in there to be a sitting duck but I'm not going to ruin any productive talks that might be had."

"That's going to take time," Mal said.

Regina looked towards the ceiling again. "Get Swan on it. Somehow I think she'll get it done just in time."

"That's an almost impossible mission. How the hell are you so sure she'll get it done?" Mal's hand hovered right above the comm link, ready to carry out Regina's orders, but only if she was truly sure.

"Because she's got something to prove to me." She looked away. "And her file says she's the best on the damn ship, now get on it. We don't have all day."

Mal shook her head but tapped her comm link anyway.

"Tell Commander Mer to scramble our signals for as long as possible. I want time bought before they can contact us." They would catch up and over take any encryption that a human could come up with eventually, but any time bought was another hidden missile on a transport ship, and maybe if they were lucky more information about what was to come. She didn't think they were that lucky, but she had to try.

"It's done. She said she could get at least one volley on there, enough to buy some time to escape, but after that you would have to rely on the fighters waiting in the wings for cover."

Regina bit her lip. That wasn't the answer she was hoping for, but it was a damn sight better than no defense at all.

The mother ship completely stopped, hanging peacefully, but still looking menacing. Everyone on the bridge was glancing up at it uneasily before going back to work at twice the normal pace, trying to ready the ship for anything to come.

"Captain, Commander Mer says she can't hold them off much longer."

Regina pulled in a breath. Already? Damn. This was not what she wanted. "Tell her I don't care what she has to do, but she's to keep them out as long as possible. As long as she doesn't rip out the comms system, anything else is free game."

The officer nodded and turned to relay the information back to the Commander.

"They're damn fast," Mal said beside her, looking out at the ship.

"They're AI, what did you expect?" Regina cocked an eyebrow.

Mal turned towards her. "The system I have at home takes five seconds to process an order."

Regina waved that off. "That's a civilian model. I know you've seen government models and what they can do. They're scary bastards."

Mal hummed. "But they were nothing like this."

"And that's why they were level five classified."

"Captain, they've made it through. Do you want me to display the comm?" Lieutenant Blue asked.

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose for half a second before standing straight, snapping to attention and looking as regal and in command as possible. Mal did the same on her right.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant Blue."

An AI system, much like the one that had been on the ship they had tried to rescue but slightly different in design, sleeker almost, popped up on screen.

"A Captain does not fight with her crew, how disappointing," it's mechanical voice rang through the bridge speakers.

"I think you and I both know that it's foolish to put the one in charge in danger. You do not send out your central databank into battle, now do you?" Regina looked down her nose, though she wondered if the change in body language would mean anything to a machine, even one this intelligent.

"I suppose not. But Captains are in charge of negations, as per chapter seven section nine of the Directive handbook."

"They are. Are you saying you wish to initiate negotiations?" Regina clenched her fists behind her back.

"Negotiations might be a bit too strong a word, talking, however, we would like, yes."

Regina nodded. "That can be arranged, but only under specific conditions."

"Do you really think you are in any place to lay down terms?"

"There is some reason that you want to talk to us. We will only talk if I can guarantee the safety of my people first, both before these talks and after."

The AI paused for a second and Regina got the impression that it was thinking things over, planning out all possibilities and thinking how it could benefit from them.

"Inform us of your terms before we agree," it finally said.

"I want to meet on neutral territory. No weapons and minimal personnel at the meeting sight. We'll make sure that talking is the only thing we're doing at this meeting. And I want a promise that until these talks are over no shots will be fired, at all, until the ship that arrive on is back within The Rocinate."

"These talks, why must they be done in person, we are speaking right now Captain. We could continue speaking and there would be no need for your foolish demands to be met."

"You sited the Directive handbook at me, tell me, what does it say of negotiations?" Regina cocked an eyebrow and tried to ignore the sweat that was breaking out on her forehead. She had been in firefights that were less tense.

"Chapter fourteen section twenty, all negotiations between two parties will be carried out face to face to foster a sense of fellowship and the ability to work together for a common goal." When the thing was reciting the handbook it sounded even more robotic. "Are you always so by the book, Captain? After all, these aren't technically negotiations."

"I think you know that as a Captain I must uphold all the rules, talks or negotiations, they are the same here. You want to talk we will be meeting face to face under my stipulations. And what do you have to lose? They are mundane and are only a hindrance if you were planning an attack, and why go through all that trouble when you could just attack us right now with the same effect?"

"Very well, where would you have us meet?"

Immediately a map of the surroundings popped up without Regina having to ask. She shot a grateful look over her shoulder before she looked at the planets within range. Several were red, the others yellow, only one was clear of any color. Regina immediately stiffened. Her instincts were screaming trap. She did not want to meet there. She looked at the yellow planets for another option. They were only suspected, there was nothing confirmed, and some of the warnings were years old. She pulled in a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.

Two were a day out, which was probably too far though Regina would kill for that amount of time. She wondered if she could get away with it, but then again she did not want to be seen as stalling. There was one half a day away, but that wasn't an option. She was pretty damn sure that planet would be classified as red any time now. That left the one friendly planet and one other yellow planet within a few hours of each other.

"Omptima Glasus," Regina said, finally making the decision. She hoped picking a yellow planet wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass, she really did.

"So it shall be then."

Outside the ship the enemy fighters turned and flew towards their mother ship.

"We will see you there. We will make contact with further details of our meeting when we reach the planet."

Regina nodded and then the image cut out. Everyone on the bridge took a huge breath and let it out slowly. Holy hell.

"Set course for Omptima Glasus," Regina said, voice lacking its normal snappy command.

No one batted an eye however, slowly setting the course just as she asked. Regina blinked a few times before she slowly let her posture relax. Her shoulders were stiff and achy already. She had held herself too tightly, a rookie mistake they corrected in the academy. She was supposed to be able to stand at attention like that for hours if needed. She snorted, but this was the real world, not the academy.

She turned to Mal who was stretching out her back carefully. "That will buy us at least five hours. Tell Granny to break out the caffeine supplements. Those who were woken up in the middle of the night will bottom out soon and we can't have that right now."

Mal nodded. "You need one?"

Regina shook her head. No she wouldn't need one for a good long time after a conversation like that.

"Me either, but I thought I'd ask. I'll put an announcement out that they'll be available to anyone who needs them."

"Good."

Regina sat down in her chair and tapped her nails against the arm. She couldn't go alone to this meeting, that would be akin to suicide and she knew it. She should at least bring two people with her, but what two would be best? Not Mal, she had to stay and command the ship just in case this all went completely sideways. Nova would be the next choice, but Regina wasn't so sure that the woman would do well outside the ship. She had a clear head under pressure, but she was meek sometimes at the worst times. Blue could work, but that would leave Mal without one of the best science officers. But as long as she left Commander Sherwood everything would be fine.

She nodded. Blue it was then, but then who else? If she had brains, brawn might make sense. One of the security officers then. She flicked open her datapad and scrolled through the crew manifest until she came to the section she needed. The men and women who ended up in the security officers weren't the highest common denominator, mostly they were those officers who had just made it through the academy, or those who hadn't specialized for one reason or another, along with those enlisted who scored on the lower end of the entrance test. But even though she was looking for muscle she didn't want them to be completely blockheaded. That would not work out in her favor in this case.

Regina scrolled through, looking at their different scores and work reviews. Petty Officer 3rd Class Charming looked promising. He had scored well enough that he could have gone to other departments, but he had actually chosen the security division. Regina wondered about decision and what it said about him, but his record was clean and his superiors had always left good reports about him. He would do.

Mal walked over again and sank down in her own chair. "Granny's already ahead of us. She got them out when the alarm sounded, said she figured that they'd be needed."

Regina snorted. "Well, she isn't wrong." She turned and handed Mal her datapad. "I need him to go with me to the talks with these…things."

Mal looked at Regina skeptically. "Why him?"

"Smart muscle. I'm taking Blue as well."

That calmed Mal's facial expression somewhat. "There are others you could take that aren't security officers, you know, that are just as muscled."

Regina hummed. "Yes, but most of them rely more on blasters than anything else."

Mal sighed. "You're right, but that doesn't mean I have to like this."

Regina reached out and patted Mal's shoulder. "We both know I can handle myself. If everything goes right there won't be any need for the muscle to do anything at all." That got Regina a rather skeptical look. "I know, but in a perfect world." She shrugged.

"I wish you would take Lily with you instead of that guy. At least I know she's capable."

"She's also a weapon of mass destruction. It's not exactly hard to see that she's a Draconian. If you were going with me I could justify that choice since you are my second in command, but Lily is not and they will see right through why I brought her."

Mal huffed, a bit of smoke clouding the air around her. "Fine, fine, the Captain knows all, but if it all goes sideways and muscle man here isn't really of use to you, then I get to tell you I told you so when you get back. And you will get your ass back here or I will fly to whatever special hell they put you in and drag your ass back from the dead."

"Thank you, Mal, I worry for your safety too."

"Yeah, yeah." She stood from her chair. "I'm going to go make sure everything is stocked for an all-out firefight now, if you'll excuse me."

Regina nodded and Mal stalked off. She shook her head looking at the retreating back of her best friend. Mal could be such a hot head sometimes, but she did have Regina's best interests in mind most of the time even when she was literally blowing smoke. She sighed and opened up her datapad again. There was a great lot to get done and only a few hours to execute it.


	8. Chapter 8

"Captain," a voice called.

Regina's head snapped up to see Lieutenant Fa standing off to the right. "We'll be at Omptima Glasus in fifteen minutes."

Regina nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant. You have your orders for what you're to do if this all goes pear shaped, right?"

The woman nodded.

"Good." Regina stood and slipped her datapad back in its holder. "Hopefully such instructions won't be needed and I will see you after this entire debacle, but just in case. You've done well."

"Thank you, Captain."

And with that Regina made her way down to the flight deck once more, Blue trailing behind her. She called Petty Officer Charming on the way down and told him to meet them there. There was just as much activity going on, if not more than the last time she'd been down here only hours ago. Then again with two shifts pulling double duty that was only expected. Regina was glad to see that it looked like there were more fighters in battle ready condition than there had been. They would need those.

She stopped and asked directions to where Swan was and found an immediate answer. Since the woman was chief mechanic that was no surprise, but the informal way that her inferior officers referred to the woman irked her. Of course Swan had no respect for chain of command. Idiotic woman.

Regina found Swan hopping off the wing of the transport ship they would be taking to the talk with AI, covered in grease, with bags under her eyes, but looking satisfied. At least that boded well for this mission.

"Officer Swan, I take it that the requested modifications have been accomplished?" Regina asked.

"Yup, I managed to get two rounds of missiles on there with some finagling. We'll be ready if they try anything funny while we're there."

"We?"

Swan held up a series of wires and switches. "Yeah, I got them on the ship, but I didn't have time to actually put a firing mechanism in. I'm the only one who knows what is where and how to fire everything. You're going to have to take me if you actually want those missiles to be of any use to you."

Anger flared within Regina. "Can't you just teach someone else how to do it?" She gestured back at Blue. "I'm sure a science officer can handle pressing a few buttons."

"Yeah, but can she also aim? Science officers don't usually get that much target practice, do they? Besides we leave in less than ten minutes and just to go over the basics of how to fire the damn things would take most of that. There would be no fancy tricks that you pilots are used to. You asked for a jerry-rigged system, not one that was easy to work."

Regina frowned so hard she figured that the lines would be permanently engraved on her face. "Fine, but one toe out of line on this mission and I'll make sure the AI shoot you my damn self."

Swan rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever, no thank you for working a miracle in the last five hours, arming a ship that wasn't meant to be armed, and for getting over half the fleet back up and running while I was at it. I see how it is."

"Would you like a cookie, officer?" Regina's lips pulled back in a snarl.

"Well it would be a damn sight better than what I'm getting right now."

"You did your job as commanded. There are no cookies for that. You've been in the Directive for how long now? You should know that."

"Uh huh and I'm sure those promotions that got you to Captain were for your shining personality and not an jobs well done or anything." Emma shook her head. "You know while I was at it, I upped the oxygen reserves and added a backup generator for them. Now we won't die if the engines go off. You're welcome."

Swan stalked off and up the ramp into the transport.

"Captain?" Blue asked.

Regina turned to Blue and tried to soften her expression. Blue was not the one she was upset with. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"We aren't going to be flying like the last time are we?" Blue looked at little green just thinking about it.

"Hopefully, no, but I'll fly how I have to get us out."

Blue nodded.

Regina stepped forward and clasped Blue's shoulder. "Might be time to renew that motion training, yes?"

"It's high up on my to do list when this all blows over, Captain."

Regina stepped back again. "Good." She looked up just in time to see Petty Officer Charming turning the corner and heading straight towards them, walking confidently with a rather brainless smile on his face. Lord, she hoped that she hadn't made a mistake not taking Lily.

"Petty Officer," Regina called as soon as he was in hearing range. "I would have thought you would have hurried when receiving a direct order from the Captain, but at least you are here now. Come," She said to both Charming and Blue. Regina turned and walked onto the transport.

She walked directly to the exosuit cabinet and pulled out one, motioning the others to do the same. "Omptima Glasus has an atmosphere that humans can breathe, but I'm not trusting that at face value. We will wear these until I deem it safe and then you will keep your fingers by the reengage button at all times. We will not have them taking us by surprise, do you understand."

There was a chorus of "Yes, Captain."

"Good.

"Petty Officer if you have any weapons on you, you will leave them here. There is a reason why I chose you and it's not your blaster skills. I need your physical combat experience only."

The man nodded as he slipped on his exosuit, securing it into place a bit awkwardly, but still adequately.

Swan snorted from the front of the ship. "What good is physical combat experience against a bunch of fucking robots?"

"What would you know about fighting AI, Officer Swan? Tell me if you think you have such a great amount of experience at such things. I eagerly await your input." Regina glared at the woman.

"Oh come on. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that punching metal isn't really going to work."

Regina clenched her fists. "Not that it is any of your business, Swan, to question a Captains prerogative for having who they want accompany them on a mission, but there were signs that the AI have some sort of lifeform on their ship besides them, be they human or otherwise. Now as I recall punching other sentient beings usually does a bang up job of getting people out of tough situations."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Keep digging your grave, Swan. I'm not the one who's going to be working my ass off on whatever punishment I see fit to assign, now am I?"

"Oh no, I'm so scared of toilet duty. What will I ever do?"

Oh that sealed it, she was going to find something very special for Emma Swan to suffer through when this was all over and she was going to enjoy every single minute of it. Maybe she would get Mal to help. Mal was absolutely evil with punishments. Perhaps it was the dragon in her. Regina didn't care as long as it got her results. And for damn sure the woman would get no recommendations for promotion from her. Perhaps she would even recommend to strip her of a rank. She would have to see just how vindictive she was feeling later.

Regina confirmed that everyone was in their exosuits and nodded. "Strap in," she said to Blue and Charming, before going up to the cockpit and slipping into the same seat she'd sat in last time. Emma was already in what was usually the pilot's chair, fiddling around with the controls, setting up the bundle of wires she'd held up to Regina earlier. Regina wasn't even going to question it. They were a minute out from the launch site and it would take at least that long to clear the deck so they could launch.

"Ready for takeoff," Regina said into her comms.

"Roger that, Captain. The deck is clearing and everything is secure. Half a minute or so until you can launch."

"Good, let me know when I'm clear."

"Will do."

Regina looked over at Swan, still fiddling with her wires. "Are you sure those things will actually fire the missiles."

"I'm sure. I've got my job and I'm good at it you've got yours. It may look like a mess, but I'd like to see you try and do what I do."

Regina snorted. "I graduated the academy so I didn't have to."

"You act like I couldn't have gone to the academy is I wanted to." Emma glared up at her for half a second. "I tested high enough I could've, but I didn't want to be a damn fly boy, I wanted to work on engines like Ingrid. Turned out the engines I was best with were fighter engines. Go figure. But don't you dare think that I couldn't be where you are if I wanted to be because I'm not as smart as you."

"If you're done giving me trite speeches I think you should get back to work on that…thing."

Swan muttered under her breath, sounding very much like she was cursing Regina out in all of the official languages of the Directive. Of course she'd pick up just enough of a language to be able to curse in it. Regina rolled her eyes and flipped a few more switches, powering the ship up but leaving the engines down for the moment. She checked her readouts. Everything was running normally, even if the ship was reading heavier than normal. That was to be expected with the extra weapons.

"Captain, you're all ready to go," the flight coordinator said.

"Thank you, lifting off now." Regina felt the first rumblings of the door opening before she powered up the engines and lifted the craft slowly into the air. She fought a bit with the controls, but once she got a feel for how the weight was distributed everything evened out nicely and she directed them towards the door.

They slipped out into space, the planet in front of them taking up most of the veiwscreen in front of them, but off to the side there was also the mother ship of the AI, looming ominously. There were no ships flying out of the larger one. Regina could only guess that meant that the AI had already sent their ship in. That was no comfort to her. That meant they could have gotten the lay of the land and perhaps sent up traps or who knew what else to await them.

She frowned hard. "They were here before us. Be on the highest guard flying in. If there is any sign of anything funny I want to know about it. Do you know how to run scans or do I need to get Blue up here?" She glanced at Swan out of the side of her eyes.

"I know how everything on this thing works. If I didn't I wouldn't be a good mechanic."

"Yes, well, then get to it. And if they aren't thorough it's not only your ass on the line." She turned fully back towards the viewscreen and started the sequence for atmosphere entry.

"Those extras aren't going to interfere with entry, are they?" If so much as a tile flew off they would be in trouble later."

"No, they're fine. Everything checked out up to spec with them, I double checked." Swan was busy pressing buttons, trying to initiate the scans already. Regina thought she looked like she was bumbling around, but she wasn't going to say that just yet. She would give the woman another minute to truly dig her own grave. They wouldn't really need the scans until they cleared atmo anyway.

"You have better." She turned to look back at her two other passengers. "Hold on, entry can be a bit rough."

Blue paled a little but Charming just shrugged and tightened the straps around his shoulders a little tighter. Well that hadn't been her expected response from him, but it was a welcome one considering she didn't have time to babysit anyone.

She pushed forward, feeling the first bit of resistance starting to bite at the wings of the transport. Omptima Glasus's atmosphere was thicker than most, the extra weight of its core allowing it to hold onto more layers. Moving around down there would be possible, but it was going to be a bitch, and Regina knew it. The atmosphere was one humans could breathe, but gravity was almost two times greater.

"Here we go," Regina said as the ship started to shake more noticeably. "Swan have you got those scanners up and running."

"Give me one sec—there they go."

"Are you sure?" Regina couldn't spare a glare right now, eyes focused on the outside temperature and structural integrity of the ship.

"Yes, I'm sure. Just pilot the ship, I've got everything else."

Regina snorted but said nothing more. The readings were holding steady and they were dropping at a good pace. Another two minutes and they would be clear. The cloud cover of the planet passed them by in oddly shaped layers. Gravity here did something to the shapes. They didn't look like those on her home planet. They almost looked…disturbing.

But there was no time for thoughts like that now.

"Anything showing up on the scans?" Regina asked, teeth clenched together, hands tight on the controls, fighting to keep the transport steady. Entries were always the worst. On her flight tests back at the academy the only place she ever got points off was on her fucking entries. She'd always been bitter about that.

"No, your highness, I'll tell you when there is. No need to ask every six seconds. You haven't even cleared most of atmo yet. The scanners on this thing aren't that good," Emma bit out.

Regina growled but decided not to expend anymore energy on it. Ninety seconds until they were clear. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. No matter how many times she did this, it never got any better.

Sixty seconds. The readings were still consistent with what they should be during this point in the entry. The hull was holding together. Whatever patch job Swan had done on the ship after she'd installed the missiles, she'd done well, Regina had to grudgingly admit that, especially for something done in such a short amount of time.

"The scans have picked out where they've set up. There's one ship there, looks like a modified version of a transport, but I think it's another AI too, just with cargo room. It has the same odd design quirks."

Regina cursed under her breath. Of course it was.

"I'm not picking up any weapons signatures, but I call a whole lot of bullshit on that. That things big enough to pack at least three launches worth. Gimme a second and I'll expand the scans out further."

Thirty seconds until they were clear. The shaking was worse now. She hoped Blue was holding it together. It wasn't as bad as the fight had been, by any means, but they didn't need to walk into this meeting looking weak in any way, shape, or form, even if it was only looking a little bit motion sick.

"We're clear up to five clicks, but then there's something. I can't pick up a full signature, it's been scrambled, but I'd say it's their contingency plan. I can get residual weapons signatures off of it, but they're mixed up in everything else and I can't pull out what they've got."

"Tell our fighters to move in to within the first layer of atmo. Tell them to stay far enough out that their scanners shouldn't be able to pick them up, but they're only two minutes out when we need them."

"Why don't you tell them yourself?" Emma looked over at her.

"I'm a little busy right now, Swan!" Ten seconds until they were clear.

Emma huffed but clicked into the comms system and passed along her orders without another word.

Regina breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled her ship up and started to fly towards the meeting site that the AI had set up. The shaking died down and the outside of the ship started to cool once more. She'd done it, another entry under her belt without a single problem.

"Get ready," Regina said, steering the ship downward once more, hoping that agreeing to this meeting wasn't one of the worst decisions she'd ever made in her career.

"The rest of the scans came back clear. Whatever is out there they think it's enough to keep us occupied," Swan said.

Regina frowned. "That doesn't make me feel very confident."

Swan snorted. "No, no it does not."

Regina clicked in to the comms system. "Be advised, there is a ship five clicks out from the meeting point. The scans aren't clear, but it is weaponized. Whatever it is, I think it should take priority. It is their big gun in this fight."

"Yes, Captain," chorused back at her.

Regina nodded and flipped the switch for the landing gear, lowering the ship to the ground slowly and setting down with a small thump. Regina took a deep breath and unhooked her seat belt.

"Is there any way you had time to quiet the idle function on this ship? I don't want them to know we can be gone at the drop of a hat."

Swan shook her head. "Nope, didn't have time for that. Besides, even if I suppressed the noise, one look with anything that can sense thermal and that would be blown anyway."

Regina nodded reluctantly. Swan did have a point there. "Ok then." She hit the power switch and the ship quieted. She took another breath and stood. "Let's go."

She walked to the door and hit the button. It opened slowly, unfolding to the ground. Regina walked down the ramp, three other sets of footsteps following her closely. She took in the scene around her quickly. On the other side of the clearing there was the AI's ship. In the middle of their two ships stood a tent. It wasn't extremely large, perhaps the size of a normal conference room. Regina didn't like the thought of having to enter that tent blind, but couldn't see a way around it. That was clearly where they were supposed to be meeting.

"Swan did you get any scans inside that tent?" Regina said in a low voice.

"Yeah, it didn't throw up any flags, just some humanoid signatures, and what had to be AI."

Well, that didn't mean they didn't have smaller fire arms like blasters hidden away. They just weren't about to bomb them into oblivion. It was something, but not enough.

"Be on your guard then." Regina started forward once again.

Swan snorted behind her but didn't say anything. Regina was infinitely glad that her other soldiers were much better trained than Swan was. She was going to have to see who in the world declared her fit for duty, because obviously they had no idea what that truly meant and should be taken off the training roster immediately.

The ground underneath their feet crunched slightly. Already Regina was starting to feel the strain in her limbs from the increased gravity. She could feel that her breathing was a bit labored too. She was beginning to regret choosing this planet. The AI had an advantage here, not really being affected by gravity and that was most assuredly a bad thing.

Regina paused outside the entrance of the tent for just a second before taking a breath and opening the flaps. Inside was a table line with chairs, but other than that, there was nothing else, at least that she could see. Instantly alarms started going off inside her head. This wasn't right.

"Ah, so you finally decided to show. Late as always Gina, dear."

Regina's blood ran cold. She knew that voice. She'd never forget it. She had to keep herself from taking a step back. She would not show weakness, not here, not in front of her, though Regina wasn't actually sure where she was. Her eyes darted around, looking for a flash of red hair, but finding none.

"Oh don't be shy now. After all, we are here to talk, aren't we?"

Regina's fist clenched by her sides. She took a step forward into the tent, her entourage following after a long second. Another step. And another, but still no size of her.

A woman with flaming red hair and a smirk to kill stepped out from the side of the tent. In the blazing whiteness of the space Regina had missed the opening there. There must be another compartment that she hadn't accounted for.

"Zelena," Regina growled.

"Now, now, is that any way to greet your sister?" Two rather large AI walked out and flanked Zelena.

Regina heard the three people behind her all take in sharp breaths. "You aren't my sister."

"Oh, but our DNA would say differently." Zelena walked towards the table and took the seat at the head of it. "Sit, sit, we do have much to talk about after all. That is why you're here."

"Our DNA also says we only share a mother." Regina didn't move.

"Half-sisters are still sisters. Didn't Mommy teach you that?"

Regina had to reign in the urge to fly across the room and punch the living daylights out of the woman. "Yes, but she didn't teach you anything at all, now did she? And you can't see that you were damn lucky she sent you off to wherever it was you ended up instead."

Zelena snorted. "Oh, still on that shtick are we? Regina, Regina, you always were unable to see what you had. Perhaps that's just the spoiled attitude of everyone who was raised on one of the inner planets."

Regina stalked forward and took a seat at the other end of the table. "Are we going to have this argument again? Are you going to try to tell me again that if I go with you we can make everyone sorry that they ever existed? Are you going to tell me that the Directive is all a big hoax and no one should trust them? All because you got rejected and your plan to impress Mother was foiled and you wanted to drag me down with you. So Mother could see that you were the better daughter. Don't think I didn't see through that the first time years ago, don't think I don't see through it now."

Zelena laughed and it sent chills down Regina's spine. "Oh no, I've grown past all of that now. I'm not out to make everyone sorry that they existed, only the Directive itself." She looked up at the AI. "Funny how they so conveniently provided me with the weapon that will bring about their own demise. They always were self-destructive like that."

"You're working with them." Regina looked at the AI, lead settling in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh, more like they are working for me."

Regina shook her head. "Surely you aren't stupid enough to believe that. They'll take you out as soon as they have what they want from you. They're AI, they have no morality."

Zelena waved that off. "Oh, I am well aware. I don't go into a plan all willy-nilly, dear sister, unlike you. But I have a great many things that they need to build themselves up and complete their mission and we share the same end goal. It's more like a business deal than anything. And when it is over we will go our separate ways no harm done."

"You say I'm impulsive, but have you ever looked into a mirror?" Regina's lips pulled up into a snarl. The rest of her crew inched closer to her, not sitting down. She could feel the tense air wafting off of them like wind.

"I have. I look fabulous. But let us not tarry and get to the point." Zelena sat forward with a razor sharp smile. "It's so very fortuitous that you were the one sent out on border patrol this cycle. I'm so glad it was you who found our little trap. I did want to talk to you before the worst was upon us."

"I thought you were getting to the point."

Zelena huffed. "Fine, fine, you know our plan. Either you can join us or you are against us. And make no mistake that if you are against us, Regina, we will destroy everything and everyone you hold dear."

Regina's mind immediately went to Henry. Zelena didn't know about him, or at least she shouldn't. The last time they had seen each other Henry had been years off. But it wouldn't matter even if Zelena did know about Henry. He was on her ship, he was part of the Directive. She would destroy him no matter what if she had her way.

The only way to protect him was to join Zelena. But she didn't believe that would work for an instant. Zelena hated her and everything she stood for. She would play along with Regina for a time, but then she would stab her in the back sometime down the road and everything she had promised would turn to dust.

"No," Regina said calmly, tasting hot metal and ash in her mouth, the taste of war.

"No?" Zelena smiled again, mad as a hatter. "Are you very sure about that?"

"The Directive doesn't deal with terrorists. As a Captain in their ranks, neither do I. Come now, Zelena, did you really think I'd fall for that line? Work with us or you'll destroy us. More like work with us and we'll destroy you. I know you."

Zelena stood quickly, slamming her hands down on the table. "You only think you know me! You know nothing," she hissed.

Regina crossed her arms in front of her and cocked an eyebrow. "I know enough. You think the world should bow to you because you have mommy issues and you get angry when it doesn't. This is just another manifestation of that."

Zelena stood straight again, calm masking slipping back onto her face. "You don't know what you're talking about. This isn't a child's plan, Regina. We've both grown up and learned a great deal about how the world works. I have resources on my side, troops, there's no more halfcocked plans. You walk away from this and you will die before you _ever_ get time to warn the Directive of what's coming for them."

Slowly, Regina got up from her seat. "You see, Zelena, I just don't believe you, about anything. I'm not deal with you, I'm not working with you, I'm not doing anything at all with you. Why would I want to work with a sister that Mother didn't want?" She smiled cruelly.

Zelena's eye twitched just slightly for half a second. "So that's how it's going to be again, is it?"

"Of course. You didn't think I would leave my very comfortable post for the likes of you, did you?" Regina scoffed.

"Oh, I hoped you'd learned, become smarter, but unfortunately…" she trailed off.

"Well, if that was all you really wanted to talk about, then we will be going." Regina turned towards the tent entrance and started to walk.

"One step out of that tent Regina, and you will regret it."

Regina turned back to look at Zelena for a long, long moment, before turning back again and walking from the tent with her head held high.

And of course, just as Zelena promised, she did regret it an instant later when the world around her was rent by blaster fire. Son of a bitch. She broke out into a sprint, running like hell towards the entrance of their transport. If one of those idiots hit it, they were gone.

Regina clicked on her comms and screamed. "Get in here! They're attacking!"

The chorus of "Yes, Captain" didn't calm her like normal. They would be two minutes out. And she needed help now. Damn it, she knew she should have just packed a blaster. But no she had to be honorable. Damn Directive rules.

And suddenly she was on the ground and a blaster shot was going right through where she'd been a second ago. Regina turned to see golden hair. Swan had tackled her to ground. Regina wasn't sure what to feel in that instant. But then another shot landed a few inches from her head and there was no time for thinking. She yanked them both to their feet and started for the transport again.

"How long will it take you to get the damn thing firing?" Regina yelled, sprinting.

"As soon as it's on and up in the air I can shoot."

"God damn it, does it have to be in the air?"

"Yeah, a lot of the openings are on the bottom of the ship. Only real place with room."

Regina started cursing, switching over to just thinking a long string of explicatives instead to save on air. She didn't think she'd parked far from the tent, but damn it felt like a marathon now with blaster fire all around them.

And then she was finally on the ramp up. The metal vibrated under her feet, clanging under her boot falls. She was inside the cockpit, throwing the switches on before she heard the next person enter. Swan was by her in another second, helping get the ship into gear. Another pair of footsteps, heavier, came up into the ship. Charming. One more and they could close up the door and be at least a bit safer.

"Charming," Regina barked out. "Blue?" she asked shortly. If the man was too slow to get that she would throw him off the damn ship herself.

"Right behind," he panted out.

Then Blue was by his side, grasping at her arm, blood oozing around her fingers, looking pale.

"Close the door, strap in, we're going for a ride." Regina turned around again, switching the engines from warm up mode. The engine roared its protests, but started up easily enough. She heard the door woosh shut and she pulled the controls up. "God damn it, when you can fire, annihilate them."

"Way ahead of you!" Swan yelled.

The ship rose fast, but now the blaster fire was turning into heavier arms and Regina held her breath, hoping that none hit them while they were rising. She needed a little more altitude before she could safely fly wherever she needed. And then they were two hundred feet up and she was gone, pushing the throttle as far as it would go, the ship shaking around them with the speed. She heard something rocket off and the ship felt lighter in the controls.

A second later Swan whooped. "Hit their ship."

And yet the heavy fire didn't cease from around them. "Where the hell are they shooting from then?" Regina yelled, gaining altitude steadily. They needed out of here right that damn second. Two more rounds of missiles wasn't enough.

"Looks like they've got planet bound drones after us, small fuckers, I can't hit them easily. It would waste a shot."

Regina cursed again.

"Captain, thirty seconds out," someone said over comms.

Regina could barely believe that it had only been a minute and a half.

"Son of a bitch!" Emma shouted. "We've got an incoming!"

"That ship five clicks off?" Regina asked. They were heading in the opposite direction, but that didn't mean much.

"Yeah, except in ten seconds it's going to be in firing range."

Regina grabbed the controls and twisted sharply. "I hope you're all strapped in!" she yelled behind them. Blue was going to get another ride of her life within a day of the first. Regina hoped she had the nerves for it.

"Have they got a lock on us?"

"Not yet, but probably soon."

"Can you fired back at them if they do?" Regina twisted the wheel again, shooting off in a different direction.

"Yeah, but I don't know what they have on that thing. It could get here before I have a chance to fire. Not exactly just pushing a button, you know?"

Out of the corner of her eye Regina saw Swan gesture to the mess of wires and buttons she'd installed.

"Well you're the only one who has a fucking chance, so get on it if they do."

"No I was just going to let them shoot us out of the fucking sky, your majesty," Swan shouted back.

"Damn it, I don't have time to deal with you being a smart ass, Swan."

"Yeah, when do you ever?"

"You might want to ask yourself that more often."

Regina turned sharply again and then pulled up. She felt gravity pulling at her hard, but she didn't stop for a few seconds. Evasive maneuvers weren't comfortable.

"Shit, fuck, they've got a lock."

Regina heard Blue gasp from the back. "Fire then!"

"I am fucking trying."

Regina let the ship drop suddenly, hoping to shake the lock.

"Damn it, if you want me to fire at them you're going to have to hold steady."

"I don't want them to have a fucking lock on us!"

"They still do, so if you want any sort of defense, let me do my damn job woman! I don't exactly have those new fancy missiles to work with that auto-target, now do I?"

"You don't have those because they would be shot right back at us!"

"I fucking know that, ok. I was there in the last firefight or did you forget about yelling at me for the better part of an hour so quickly? I would think that being a Captain would require a longer memory than that, but you know I wouldn't fucking be surprised."

If Regina could have taken her hands off the controls and punched the woman nicely in the jaw, she totally would have. But as the situation was, that would send them all to their demise, and she couldn't have that. If Swan was going to die by her hands, it would be very, very voluntary and by choice on her part.

She flew and kept the ship steady. "Why haven't they fucking fired yet if they have a lock on us?"

"Don't fucking ask me. Maybe they're waiting for an invitation. But I'm fucking not." She pressed one of the buttons dramatically and another round of missiles was gone. The ship sped up just a bit with the extra weight gone and Regina used it to her advantage. She pushed the throttle harder and let the engines rip.

"Broken atmo, Captain. We're locking onto your position and coming to your aide as we speak."

Regina was never more relieved in her life. "Push it as hard as you can, we're being pursued."

"Roger that."

The sound of explosions came from behind them. Regina waited for all of half a second before asking. "Did any of them hit?"

"Give me a second, switching from one to the other isn't exactly the easiest, you know." Emma was silent for a few seconds and sucked in a breath. "No. Or at least if they did, they didn't do any damage. The ship is gaining."

"Fucking a!" When would they catch a break? "Ok, look for a small canyon, something that they won't be able to fit through and fucking get us there before they catch us."

"A canyon? We're in the middle of flat country!"

"It's a large planet and we're going very, very fast, just fucking do it!"

"God you expect me to perform miracles and then wonder why I can't fucking pull it off."

"If you want to fucking live you will perform any miracles that I ask you to!"

"Just call me the fucking savior then." Emma's fingers were flying over the keys. "Turn right now!"

Regina jerked the wheel to the side and the engines groaned with the strain. "How far away?"

"Twenty clicks."

"We're never going to make that! Find something closer." Regina felt sweat running down her back, felt her muscles twitching. Any second they could be shot out of the sky.

"The next closest thing in fifty clicks in the fucking opposite direction and I think the object here is to not go back towards the ship that's trying to kill us."

Regina clenched her fists hard around the controls. She had a fucking point, but god damn it, they were stuck between a rock and hard place here. And the hard place was sharp and deadly and so was the rock.

"Captain, we've got a lock on the ship following you. Firing now."

"Thank fucking god," Regina said out loud. Still she didn't slow down or change course. They needed safe haven just in case those missiles didn't hit. "How long until we're at the canyon?"

"Two minutes."

God that was going to see like an eternity yet again. "Anything in the way?"

"Just sand and rocks, nothing tall. You should be fine."

Regina waited and waited for the sound of explosions behind her, but they never came. "Swan, what the hell is going on back there?"

"They've got the missiles held in some sort of field. I think they might be rerouting them."

"Towards what?"

Swan went very still. "Us, for the love of God, you're gonna have to pull off that miracle now. They just fired."

The world slowed down around her. People were calling her over the coms, warning her of the incoming fire, saying that they would try to intercept, saying that they would try to fire another round. Regina couldn't process it all, so she tuned it out. Let the fighters deal with themselves. She jerked the wheel hard to the right, until the ship turned in a full circle.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Swan screeched beside her.

"Walking on water," Regina said quietly before she forced the ship forward again, speeding towards the missiles. She held out for a few long seconds, getting closer and closer, all the while Swan was screaming that she was insane, and perhaps Blue was having a breakdown in the back. Then at the last possible second, she dove under the missiles and the soared over the ship, missing by inches.

"For the love of all that's holy tell me that they aren't following us," Regina said yanking the ship in another direction once more.

Swan hesitated for just a second.

"Come on! I need to know!" Regina shouted. To not know something here would kill them.

Swan punched a few buttons and shook her head. "No, we're in the clear for now. But not for long, our ships aren't doing a damn thing to whatever the fuck is following us."

Regina didn't have time to ask another question before everything around them was fire. She felt the ejector seat jamming, the ship fracturing in half. She saw her life flash before her eyes. Her childhood, as miserable as it was, the Academy, having Henry, watching him grow. Henry. She wouldn't get to see him reach his full potential. She felt a great well of sadness at that, but could do nothing about it, flying two hundred feet above the ground and falling fast. There was no way she would survive this.

The fall took a short eternity. She could feel the air rushing around them. Strong gravity pulling them down faster than normal, but still so very slowly.

And then they hit the ground and Regina could hear grinding metal hitting rocks as she was shaken in her harness like a ragdoll. Her head jerked back hard and stars swam before her vision. The world started to go black and she tried to hang on, knew that if she went out now she wouldn't ever wake up again. But she was given no choice and the world went dark a few seconds later.


	9. Chapter 9

She sat up with a gasp. Breath pumped in and out of her body at an accelerated pace. Where was she? What had happened? Why wasn't she on the Rocinate? Why did her head hurt like someone had stuck it into a meat grinder? One of her hands came up to rub at it, but was stopped by the helmet of an exosuit. When had she put that on?

Regina looked around. She was surrounded by large rocks on all sides. Behind her there looked like there was some sort of cliff structure, maybe a canyon. She didn't recognize the planet surface. Where was she? As much as she wanted to take off her exosuit and examine her head, she didn't know if she could. As far as she knew she could be on a planet without a breathable atmosphere.

She tried to get up but a groan ripped itself out of her mouth. She was too sore all over. She probed all of her limbs gently. Nothing was broken, though, so that was a good sign. But for now she wasn't going anywhere. Regina drug herself slowly to lean on the rock nearest to her as she continued to look around for anything recognizable.

Footsteps sounded near her. Regina grabbed for a blaster, but there was none around her waist. Of course there wasn't when she needed one. The jerky motion caused every muscle within her to tense. She hissed none too quietly. Fuck, she had probably just given her position away.

A person walked around the rock, but Regina recognized the exosuit. It was someone from her own ship. She relaxed marginally. For all she knew that other person was why there were here in the first place.

"Oh hey, her majesty awakes," the person said.

Regina blinked, the first few fuzzy memories coming back to her. Emma Swan, that's who was in front of her. A royal pain in the ass, but definitely not why they were here. She squinted a bit harder, causing her head to ache more, but there was something else nagging her. Something about computers.

Swan sat down beside her. "Don't think I've ever heard you speechless. You doing ok?"

"Where are we?" Regina asked. She didn't like appearing helpless, but she needed to know so she could start forming a plan.

"By the time they blew us out of the sky, we'd actually almost made it to that canyon that you made me find. The ship flew more after they shot us down, of course, momentum and all that. We landed about a fourth of a click back that way." Swan pointed off away from the rocks and canyon. "I dragged you here as fast as I could, hoping the cover would mean they didn't find us. Well, wouldn't find us as easily, anyway. They've probably got damn good scanners. But it was worth a try. I was going to drag you into the canyon, but it was too far and my arm gave out on me." She gestured to her left arm which was hanging limply at her side. "I think it's dislocated or something. Maybe broken. Dunno. It hurts like a son of a bitch. Everything hurts like a son of a bitch, but that's sort of expected after crashing, right?"

Regina blinked, memories of what Swan was saying coming back to her slowly but surely. They had come to Omptima Glasus to meet with the AI. Zelena had been there, offered to let them out of the ensuing conflict if they joined them. She had said no. And then everything had gone to hell. Her head hurt even more now, but at least she remembered.

"How the hell did we survive that crash? Where the hell are Blue and Charming?" Regina detached her helmet and started to probe her head gently, looking for wounds. She took a deep breath as her fingers hit a rather tender bump. With the temporary memory loss, she probably had a concussion on top of the bumps on her head.

"No idea. Whatever the fuck they fired at us literally split the ship in half. I don't even know how they did it. But their half of the ship didn't have wings so it dropped like a fucking rock. The only way they would have survived is if someone caught them or if the fucking ejector seats actually worked. Ours jammed, which is probably my fault since I was dicking around so much with electronics to fit all those missiles in."

"Has anyone tried to contact us via comm link?" Regina could feel the edges of unconsciousness creeping towards her. She couldn't pass out now. They needed to get off this planet and back to the ship and they needed to get the fuck out of here and warn the Directive.

Swam pulled out a crushed looking ear piece. "I couldn't tell you."

Regina reached up to her own ear, but found it empty. Son of a bitch. She had to have been rattled around hard for that to fall out. It was practically glued to her. But that at least explained why the fuck her head hurt so much.

"Great. And of course all the transport's systems are completely fried."

Swan nodded. "Yup, tried them before I dragged you out here. Better to have a rescue set up, you know."

"So somehow we've got to get the attention of our fleet without actually getting anyone else's attention on a planet suspected of rebel activity while we are both injured. Wonderful." Regina put her head in her hands, but realized that was a mistake a second later when she almost passed out. She sat up again slowly and sighed.

"Yeah, that's about the size of it, your majesty."

Regina looked at her. "We're going to have to work together, so I would appreciate it if you laid off the nicknames, Swan."

Swan saluted with the wrong hand considering the right one had been broken. "Yes, Captain."

Regina stood up slowly. "You know, you're awfully cheerful for being trapped on a foreign planet with no food or water or chance of escape."

Emma stood up as well. "Yeah, well, better than panicking, isn't it? I do what I have to, to get by."

Regina sighed. "Fine, fine. Come on, you're right about the scanners. They'll pick us up at any moment if they care to look. Zelena is sometimes sloppy, but she won't be about this. We have to get somewhere where they will have trouble getting to us."

"But that means so will our people."

Regina hummed her acknowledgement. "I know, but that's the price we have to pay right now. We just have to hope our team is more motivated to figure out how to get to us first." She started to walk towards the canyon, bones and muscles aching profusely with every single step. It was going to be a very, very long walk.

"So, uh, your sister?" Emma asked, catching up with her after a moment.

"Unfortunately, yes. Half-sister, but sister all the same. My mother had her when she was younger, too young really to have a child and get into the upper echelons of society where she wanted to be, so she gave Zelena up, sent her out to a border planet and thought nothing more of her. Until she tried to come crawling back when she hit eighteen and tried to enlist in the academy."

Emma frowned. "She didn't make it because she was from a border planet?"

Regina hummed, fighting at the blackness that was trying to take over her vision. They weren't even halfway to the entrance of the canyon, let alone far enough in to be relatively safe. "That's what she says. Honestly, her test scores weren't high enough. I may have had a friend…hack into the database to check once I was in the academy myself. Though I'm sure the border planet status did not help her, nor did the subpar educational system out there."

"That border planet ruling is shit. Just because someone lives out here doesn't mean a damn thing. If they actually care enough to take the test and study for it and everything, they should get in just like everyone else if they have the scores."

Regina looked over at Emma who was scowling deeply. "Sore spot for you, Swan?"

Swan glared back. "Yeah, just a bit. The planet I'm originally from is only about a week's journey from here, Losi Five. I lived there until Ingrid's detachment came down to fix some of the infrastructure. She adopted me after that and I just flew with her wherever. The only reason I'm here now is because she vouched for me. The second they heard border planet, especially one on the watch list, well it was almost game over. I know plenty of people I grew up with who turned to the Directive in hopes of one decent job and got turned away. You wanna know what they do now to get by?" Her face was fierce, green eyes sparking. "Some are the rebels that the Directive fear because they're the only ones who put food on the table, some sell themselves, others, well they died before they could make the choice between the two. They didn't even try to become officers. They just wanted to enlist. Now how the fuck is that fair? To advertise that the Directive is the way out, but then make it impossible to obtain."

Regina looked away from the woman, noticing that the canyon entrance didn't seem any closer and cursing internally. "It's not. A great lot of the Directive isn't. On one hand I can see their point, and on another I know they're contributing to their own problems. But it's not my place to say whether it's right or wrong. I'm not from the border planets. I do not know anything about it. But I know Zelena. And none of this would have stopped if she had gotten in. Her life's mission is to get mother to recognize her in some way as her daughter. She would have killed her way up the ladder until she made Captain, maybe she wouldn't have stopped until she was an Admiral. I don't know. But now we're here." She gestured around the sand covered landscape.

"Hell of a family you've got. Everyone knows your mom's a piece of work too."

Regina laughed, but it was a joyful sound. "Oh, they don't know the half of it, Swan. Having Admiral Gold in her pocket is the most mundane thing she's done. Seducing an Admiral doesn't take much. It's what she's done with him that's the problem. And at home…no, no one knows anything when it comes to Cora Mills."

"Do I want to know what she's done with Gold?"

Regina shook her head. "No if you want any faith left in this organization."

Swan looked at her for a long time in silence. "Then why are you here?"

"Originally because my mother commanded it of me, now I'm here because I want to be. Despite what some parts of the organization do, there are other parts that are good. We rescue people, build infrastructure of war torn or disaster torn places. To be part of the Directive might be a status symbol to my mother, but it's not to me."

Swan nodded. "Ok then."

They walked the rest of the way to the canyon entrance in silence. Regina was never more thankful for shade. They were going to have to find a source of water soon. They didn't have survival packs, didn't have the humidity condensers to pull water from the air around them, didn't have the light meals that came with them, had no supplies at all, not even a knife. They were going to have to wing it using only their hands, and Swan was down an arm. Regina looked over at Emma's arm. It was black and blue and Regna couldn't clearly see what was wrong with it. They would have to deal with that as soon as they were safe.

"So you're here because Ingrid adopted you and you practically grew up in the Directive?" Regina asked. She needed a distraction from the pounding in her head as she climb over and around rocks.

"Yup, I sort of wanted to be just like Ingrid when I enlisted. That's why the whole engine thing too. And I had a knack for it, but that was beside the point really. I'm sorta stubborn when I get an idea in my head and I would have made the engine thing work no matter what."

"No really, you, stubborn, I wouldn't have ever known."

"Oh, hush, your majesty, like you have any room to talk." Regina didn't turn around but she had a feeling that Emma was sticking her tongue out. "Henry's so laid back, I'm amazed he's your kid."

Regina winced and went very still for a few seconds. Swan came up behind her and hesitated for just a few seconds. Finally, she put her one good hand on Regina's shoulder.

"Uh, I'm sorry if I said anything wrong."

Regina swallowed hard and continued forward again. "You didn't. It's just that Henry…his personality is mostly from his father. He was very easy going."

"Was."

She nodded and started to scale a rather large rock. Of course the bottom of this canyon wasn't smooth and easily walkable. She reached the top and turned around, holding her hands out for Swan. She wouldn't be able to make it up with her arm the way it was without help. Regina pulled her up with a little effort and grunting, head throbbing mercilessly now.

She had to sit for a minute holding her head in her hands before the world came back to her. "Yes, was," she said into her hands. "He died not long after I got pregnant. I'm not sure that my mother didn't have anything to do with it."

"She worried that you would drop out of the Directive to become a house wife or whatever else."

Regina nodded. "Exactly. I wouldn't have, like I said, I like it here. But it would have been much easier for me to leave Henry with his father knowing he was safe and loved by him. He was safe and loved anyway. My friend Katherine raised him with her husband while I was out on missions, they couldn't have kids of their own, so it was…well it was the best of a bad situation."

"But if you could have…" Swan trailed off.

"Yes." Regina started moving again but froze. There was the sound of engines overhead. "Get down and press yourself as close as you can to the canyon wall." She scrambled to follow her own directions.

Swan complied but looked at Regina skeptically. "What the fuck is that going to do if they have scanners?"

"They can't fly down and get us then, you idiot."

"Oh right, because the missile they can just shoot instead to cause a fucking rock slide is so much better," Swan snarked.

"Just shut up and do as I ask. I am trying to save our fucking lives."

"Fat lot of good you're doing so far, your majesty."

"I am tired to your attitude!" Regina shouted, and it echoed along the canyon.

"Why don't you just paint them a 'we are here sign' with all the yelling?"

Regina snarled but stayed quiet. The sound of engines got louder and louder. And then they stopped. Right over them. Regina swallowed hard and prayed to every god she knew of that they would start flying once again. But the moments dragged on and on. There was no attack, but yet they didn't fly on

"Is there any way that this amount of rock is jamming their scanners?" Swan asked in a whisper.

Regina thought about it for a long moment. Perhaps, but then again they were floating right above them. There was too much coincidence there to really be believed. But then why weren't they firing?

"Could they be our men?" Swan asked again.

"I don't know. I'm not an expert in engine noises so I couldn't tell you the different between a transport and a fighter, let alone if it's our ship or an enemy ship. You're the mechanic, you tell me."

"My engine noise expertise is limited to 'that's a bad noise and it shouldn't be doing that but that noise probably means this part is broken so I should go check that' not ' that noise is an enemy ship run for cover.'"

"What use are you!" Regina whispered and yet somehow it seemed as if she yelled.

"I can fix an entire fleet of ships in less than a week, that's what use I am. We all have our fucking training. Not my fault I'm a bit out of my depth. You're the damn Captain, shouldn't you know more?"

This was getting them nowhere and the ship was still above them. "Just shut up and wedge yourself closer then. It's the only shot we have right now. If it's our men they'll come get us and they'll probably send a sign it isn't the enemy. But until we know for sure we stay right where we are. Got it?"

Swan nodded and said nothing more.

The moments dragged on and on, but still the ship stayed. Regina wondered if they were trying to wait them out. If they thought that Regina would eventually come out if the ship stayed around long enough, because then she would think that it was one of hers. She wasn't about to take that chance, not even if they stayed above them for days.

But then again, there was a problem with that plan. They had no food, but more importantly they had no water. Sooner rather than later they would have to move to find some source of liquid. They had maybe, maybe half a day before that point, maybe less. Regina cursed and wished for the millionth time that they'd managed to get some survival packs.

Regina thought that she was going to be driven insane by the incessant whirring. Inside the canyon it echoed back and forth until it was layered on top of each other. Her head throbbed in time with her heartbeat. Her body ached to the whine of the engines.

And then suddenly, it was fading once more. They held still for a very, very long time even after the noise faded completely. They looked at each other, suspicious and scared.

"Do you think they're really gone?" Swan asked after a long while.

"I don't know. I mean, I can check, but that would give away our position. But at the same time we need to move. We need to get water and find better shelter." Regina sucked her lip into her mouth. Force once she wasn't sure what to do. Eventually, though, they would be forced out anyway. Might as well choose to do something than have choice taken away.

She started to scoot out slowly, ears straining for the slightest sound, eyes darting around. But there was nothing even as she got out to the middle of the canyon. Regina swallowed, a leaden feeling still in the pit of her stomach.

"Come on, Swan, let's keep moving."

Swan crawled out and stood up carefully, keeping her injured arm far out of the harm's way. Together they quickly started to walk further into the canyon. Regina kept an eye out for water. In a low lying region like this water had to be somewhere, if there was any water to be found. She tried to remember what she knew about Omptima Glasus, but didn't remember much other than it being a yellow planet. The academy didn't teach much about border planets other than their atmosphere, gravity, and threat level, figuring that was all an officer would ever need to know. So of course she had little clue if the planet was a desert planet or not or if they had just had the luck to land in the dry part of the planet.

Above them the light diminished slowly. Regina felt her thirst rise slowly. Her tongue was starting to stick to the roof of her mouth. Her body was slowing down and her brain was getting even foggier. Walking like this wouldn't be feasible for long. Regina started to go through the options. Which were few and none of them ones she wanted to choose.

She started to look around for shelter. Night was drawing near. They would have to sleep somewhere and perhaps in the morning her men would be there to rescue them and the water concern would be moot. Regina thought she could dram anyway.

Up ahead there looked to be a cave. When she and Swan walked past it she pulled the woman to a stop. "Hold on, we need shelter. We should check this out."

Swan nodded and together they both inched into the small opening, eyes trying to look through the dark to see if there were any threats. They walked about ten feet when Regina's foot hit something. She slipped just a little bit and almost went down, but Swan caught her with her good arm.

"Sorry," Regina said, standing straight. "There's something on the floor." She bent down and felt around. It was damp on the floor, but she didn't know if that was just a result of it being cooler inside the cave or if it was something else. She felt further forward, trying to figure it out. Regina rested her knees on the ground and then almost set down her hand, but suddenly there was no floor under it. She tipped forward, splashing down awkwardly. She quickly pulled herself up, gasping for air and scrunching her nose because she had gotten liquid up it.

"Is that water?" Swan asked.

"It's something liquid, I don't know about water. I can't exactly see to be able to tell you."

"Scoop some up and bring it out into the canyon to check."

Well that wasn't a completely horrid idea. Regina felt around more carefully this time and scooped out a handful of water. She hurried towards the entrance to the cave. It would be a hell of a lot easier if she actually had something else to carry the water or whatever it was in, but if she had more supplies then they wouldn't be in this situation at all.

She brought it out into the light, with Swan closer behind her. Regina looked down in her hands. It was clear and looked for all intents and purposes like water. She bent down and sniffed what was in her hands. It didn't smell bad and there was no salty tang. That was a good sign.

"I think it is water, but I would feel a lot better about it if we had something to test it. God knows what's in it." She dropped the water to the ground.

"Yeah, but if we had something to test it then we would have survival packs and then this wouldn't actually be an issue," Swan said making her way back into the cave. "But right now I'm thirsty enough to drink an entire lake, so as long as it's not black sludge that's going to eat me if I try to drink it, I'm fucking game, man."

Regina really couldn't disagree with that sentiment, but still. She sighed and entered the cave again, being a little more careful so she wouldn't slip or fall into the water. Swan was already at the edge, drinking heartily with her one hand. Regina leaned down and joined her. After a few mouthfuls she sat back.

"We need to look at your arm. If we can reset it properly you'll be in a lot less pain."

"Yeah, that'd be nice." She winced. "I'm surprised I haven't thrown up yet from the pain. It's a little unbearable, but that whole running for your life thing really kicks things into gear, you know?"

Regina hummed her answer. Swan bent down to start drinking again, but Regina held her back. "You're going to make yourself sick. Wait a little bit before you have more."

"I'm still fucking thirsty." She glared at Regina.

Regina scowled back. "And you'll be even thirstier if you manage to throw up any water that you have drank." She stepped away from the pool. "Come further into the light that's left. You can drink again after I've looked at your injuries."

"Someone needs to look at you too. You've been holding your head off and on."

"I probably have a concussion. Not really a surprise after a wreck like that. Nor is your arm. In fact we're lucky we managed to get off that lightly."

"Yeah, well, don't think I'm about to count myself lucky for this much pain. I haven't had to deal with much more than few squished fingers and sore muscles for years now. I'm not about to go back to eight year old me and being used to pain."

Regina paused for just half a second at that statement. There was much more in those few words than met the eye. Something told her that Emma's childhood before Ingrid picked her up was not a good one, but then again, that wasn't really a surprise for the border planets and orphans.

"You don't have to, but the alternative was death or much more serious injury. What would you rather have?" Regina challenged.

"Fine, ok, whatever." She flopped at the entrance to the cave and looked up at Regina. "Get this over with, will you? I know you aren't a doc, but you're probably one of those goody two shoes that keep all their certifications up to date, aren't you?"

"Of course, as Captain I have to set a good example for my crew." Regina knelt down and started to gently poke and prod at Swan's arm.

"And of course that includes first aid." Swan winced as she said the words.

"Yes, and you're going to have to tell me when something hurts and not just wince dramatically for this to work properly."

"Yeah, you try to do that when your arm's fucked up and tell me how it works. Fuck!"

Regina looked up from her prodding. "I take it that hurt a good deal."

"You win the award for brilliant deduction."

Regina cocked and eyebrow. "There's no need for your sarcasm, Swan. That will not make this any better for you."

"I don't know about that. Irritating you happens to be a very good distraction from the pain, your majesty." Swan grinned but it was stretched taut by pain.

"Keep telling yourself that." She kept up her examination for a few minutes until she hit a spot that made Emma completely howl. "You're going to have to put up with this for just a second longer and it's going to hurt a bit more. I need to feel if the bones are out of line. You've definitely broken it."

"That's. Great," Swan bit out through clenched teeth.

"Oh don't be a baby about it, you'll be fine."

"When exactly was I whining?" Emma was pale with sweat starting to bead on her brow.

Regina didn't respond, she just pressed a little harder, feeling through the skin to try and find just where her bones had gotten. It felt like the bones were slightly crooked and needed to be adjusted just a bit to be properly back in place.

"This is going to hurt like a mother fucker. Please refrain from screaming like a banshee. Bite on your hand, do whatever you have to, but if all goes well you should be in a little less pain."

Regina unzipped her exosuit and slipped off her uniform top. She was going to need something to tie Swan's arm up after she was done so all her effort didn't go to waste. Better would be if she had some sticks to make a proper splint, but she hadn't exactly seen a tree or any sort of woody plant that would provide what she needed. A sling would have to do.

"Three, two." Regina pushed and felt the bones even out again as Swan screamed into her free hand, muffling the sound. She slumped back against the wall of the cave after a second.

"For fucks sake what happened to one? I wasn't fucking ready."

"That was the point. If you had tensed up it would have hurt even more. You're welcome since I saved you some pain."

"Fuck you, I don't know about saving me any pain." Swan looked up at the sky, tears still in her eyes, making them even greener than normal.

"Does it hurt less now?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"No buts. Just accept the help gratefully like you should." She reached out and tied Swan's arm up in the shirt, creating a makeshift sling. She didn't know how well it would hold, but it would have to do.

Swan groaned. "God, you're impossible your majesty."

Regina got up from the ground and dusted herself off. "Really, that nickname is getting old very fast. But if you want more water, you can now have it." She walked into the cave herself and did just that. Swan didn't follow, but then again Regina figured she was too nauseous right now to really want to put anything in her stomach.

When she was done drinking Regina walked back towards the cave's entrance but not too far forward. She bent and felt at the ground. It was cool, but not wet. It would have to do.

"Get back away from there," she said, sitting down and leaning against the wall. It wasn't comfortable by any means. "We don't want to give away where we are that easily if someone tries to come through the canyon."

Swan grumbled, but complied, slowly moving to where Regina was. "You try moving after having your arm wrenched around like that."

"I've been walking around all day with a concussion that feels like the worst one I've ever had. We can compare injuries all you want, Swan. I'm sure we'd try to find yet another way to one up each other."

Swan settled on the floor sighing out her relief. "Yeah, yeah, probably. You're the stubbornest person I think I ever met."

"You've met yourself," Regina sassed back.

"Fair enough. Though I could make an argument that I never really met myself. I do know myself though."

"We're the in middle of a canyon, with enemy fighters after us, and you're debating semantics. How charming." Regina rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Gotta do something, don't I?" She glanced towards the back of the cave. "Ugh, the water is so far away."

"What do you want me to carry you?

"If I thought you could lift me, I'd totally say yes."

Regina scowled. "What makes you think I can't?" She kept up her strength training religiously.

"The fact that we just crashed and we're both beat to shit."

Regina calmed at that. "Fair enough. You can lean on me if need be," she offered.

"Nah, I'll get there." She started to crawl slowly forward once again. "I think you should have just let me drink as much as I wanted earlier. Then this wouldn't be an issue."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course you do." Regina settled further down into the rock and closed her eyes. She was tired, which was no surprise after they day they'd had. "I'm going to sleep." She yawned, and it only set her head to aching more.

"Go ahead," Swan said between drinks of water. "I'll wake you up in the middle of the night to make sure your concussion isn't worse."

Regina paused for a second. "Thank you."

"Of course, your majesty. Least I can do. After all, it is a little pay back for setting my arm earlier. Not nearly as painful but." She laughed.

Regina heaved another sigh. Swan was a child, certainly, but at least she wasn't completely hopeless it seemed. Perhaps she wouldn't assign a year's worth of toilet duty after all when they got back. Maybe only six months. Regina fell asleep with a smile on her face at that thought.


	10. Chapter 10

She woke up again in the middle of the night to Swan kneeling over her. "Good, you woke up easily. Looks like that concussion won't kill you yet. But I'll wake you up closer to morning just in case."

Regina just grunted and closed her eyes.

"First time I've ever seen you speechless."

She blinked open her eyes enough to glare but then closed them again after Emma had gotten the message.

"Right, goodnight again, your majesty."

"Shut up," Regina mumbled before she fell back to sleep.

* * *

Another wakeup call from Swan came just as the world was lighting up outside the cave. Regina moaned.

"I hate getting woken up multiple times. Stupid fucking concussions." It was the closest she'd come to whining since she was a girl.

Swan just laughed above her. "I know, don't worry. It should be over now. As long as you can remember where we are and everything in the morning and can function like a human being you should be good."

"Yes, hopefully, and perhaps my headache will dissipate soon."

"Yup. Going to go back to sleep again or you getting up?"

"There's nothing else to do but sleep, really." Besides sleeping would help her injuries heal. "We'll start out later in the day and try to find another spot with water."

"Great, I'm still fucking exhausted."

Regina heard Swan crash back to the ground and she wondered how in the world that didn't irritate her injury.

"Are you ok after that fall?" She let her eyes slip shut. Swan would have probably screamed if she was really hurt.

"Yeah, yeah, it really is feeling better. Better in comparison to searing agony, but like, I'm getting used to it. It's cool." Regina could practically hear the shrug in Emma's voice.

"If you say so. Good night, Swan."

"More like morning at this point, but yeah, night."

Regina just scoffed and didn't allow that idiotic comment a reply. Of course she had to be difficult even with pleasantries. Whatever, sleep was more important than talking with the stubborn idiot anyway. The sound of dripping water lulled her to sleep once more.

* * *

When Regina woke again, this time naturally, it was much later in the day. Afternoon, probably by the look of the sun outside. They would have to move fast if they wanted to get anywhere. She groaned as she sat up. Her injuries and muscles had grown stiff while she was asleep. It didn't help that she had slept on literal rocks.

She looked around and found Swan a little farther back in the cave, asleep on what had to be damp rocks. Regina tilted her head. Why in the world had Swan fallen asleep there?

"Swan, time to get up. We need to get moving. Drink a good amount of water before we leave." Regina moved to follow her own instructions. She hoped they could find another cave like this, or better yet running water later in the canyon.

Swan didn't stir even a Regina walked past her. Regina sighed. Of course she would be hard to wake too. She shook her head and continued on to the water, drinking a little more than her fill, knowing that it wouldn't hurt for later.

"Swan!" Regina said in a louder voice. It echoed off the cave walls and magnified the sound so it sounded more like she had yelled at the top of her lungs, and yet still the other woman didn't move.

Regina walked over and knelt down by Swan. She grabbed the woman's shoulders and shook gently. "Swan, we need to move. We've already slept way too long." Regina stilled her hands. She could feel heat wafting off the woman. That definitely wasn't normal. She moved her hands up to Swan's forehead. God above, she was burning up.

"Captain?" Swan asked, groggy. She pushed against Regina's hand and sat up. "What's going on? Is it time to leave?" She stretched her limbs, groaning. "Rocks fucking suck."

"We're not going anywhere. You're running a fever, a high one from what I can tell. Moving around will only make you worse and that's not something we can afford right now." Regina shuffled back to her former place. "And come away from the damp rocks. You're only going to make whatever you have worse if you sleep in damp places."

"What, no, I'm fine. We need to move. You're the one who kept saying that yesterday. What happened?"

"What happened is that you aren't fine. God knows what's wrong with you. It could just be an infection from one of your cuts or a cold you caught on the ship and all the stress triggered it, or it could be something more serious. So we aren't moving. We'll just have to hope we're far enough in and that they won't come looking for us."

"That's bullshit. We can't rely on that possibility." Swan scowled but started to crawl forward. Halfway to where Regina was, her body gave out and she slumped to the floor for a few minutes. She pushed herself up again, determined look on her face and made it the rest of the way.

"And if you can't crawl ten feet without stopping, what makes you think you're fit to go anywhere?" Regina glared at her.

"I am. Fine." She pushed herself up until she was standing but then immediately had to lean against the wall. "I'm just a little bit dizzy."

"Sit down, Officer, that is an order," Regina's voice dropped into her Captain tone, hard as steel and unyielding.

"Really, you're going to pull that here in the middle of a fucking canyon where our ship is god knows where and if everyone is even alive? What the fuck are you Captain of right now?"

"Whether or not I still have a ship to command we are both still members of the Directive and when I say sit you say for how long."

Swan sat slowly. "Fine, whatever, your fucking majesty. Just get us killed or something." She slumped back. "I told you. I can walk. I know my body better than you do."

"And you would walk and then tomorrow you wouldn't get up at all. As it is we have no food, we are injured, and you are sick. There is not much going for us to have you recover in a timely fashion if you push yourself too far. So you aren't going to push yourself at all."

"Not going to matter if we're fucking dead by this time tomorrow." Swan's eyes slipped closed.

"We're not going to be dead."

"How do you know?" Regina could tell it was supposed to be a snapped comment but it sounded more like Swan was already drifting to sleep.

"Are you always this stubborn? You're falling asleep while talking to me. Obviously you aren't ok but why do you insist you are?"

"Had worse. I made it through. And I was a kid. I think I can handle it now."

The more Regina heard about Swan's childhood the more she wanted to punch someone. "Well now I'm here to make sure that you make it through again and I say we stay. Go to sleep, Swan. I'll look around nearby to see if I can find anything for us to eat."

Swan mumbled incoherently and her breathing evened out a few seconds later. Regina shook her head and got up. She winced, so very stiff and sore. At least walking around would loosen some of her sore muscles.

Regina looked around the canyon for food, but there was little besides rocks of varying size. There was a bit of dry grass, but Regina didn't think that would actually do much and so she left it. She returned to the cave just as dark was falling.

Swan, for her part was still dead out asleep on the cave floor. Regina wondered if she should wake the woman up and make her drink something. She walked past Swan and took a long drink herself. She turned and looked at Swan. There was nothing really to carry any water to Swan with. They had ditched their helmets by the rocks where Swan had dragged her to. Those would have worked, but Regina wasn't about to go get them. She would just have to help the other woman to the water or scoop some out in her hands.

"Swan," Regina said, moving over to the woman again. She shook Swan gently, but she barely stirred.

"Cap'n?" she slurred out before closing her eyes again and falling right back to sleep.

"Swan, you have to drink something, come on." She nudged the woman gently again.

Her eyes blinked open, the green color that was normally so clear cloud with confusion. "Whu'?"

Regina dragged her up, muscles groaning. She hauled Swan to the edge of the water. "Water, drink, can you do that?"

She nodded and bent down, drinking for a long minute before sitting back up. Regina didn't even bother asking her if she could make it back on her own, she just pulled her back to their dry spots and heaved a sigh as the other woman fell right to sleep.

She swallowed hard. Swan was not just sick, she was very, very ill if this was how her body was responding. And they had no medicine other than rest. How in the world was she supposed to help the woman? First aid training wasn't going to provide her with much if it was an infection. They would need antibiotics for that. Or Swan immune system would have to fight it off. Which as sick as she looked…that might not happen.

Regina sat back and looked over Swan. She would just have to keep her temperature down and hope. She crawled forward again and carefully maneuvered Swan out of her under shirt. She folded it up carefully and walked back to the water, soaking it in cool water and ringing out the extra. She sat beside Swan and started to bathe her overwarm limbs in cool water. She hoped that this helped because otherwise…well she didn't want to think about that.

* * *

The next morning Regina woke up and her head definitely was feeling a bit better. It didn't pound every time she moved, so that was a great improvement. Her stomach, however, was starting to truly protest not being fed for days. She held her abdomen and took a deep breath. Water would have to suffice for a meal.

She got up and walked over to Swan. Regina hefted her up, but unlike the other times, this time Swan didn't stir at all, and if Regina was feeling right, it felt like her temperature had gone up as well. She worried the inside of her lip. This was not a good sign.

Regina set Swan by the edge of the pool. The other woman needed to stay hydrated and the only way to do that was to get her to drink some at least. She cupped her hands carefully and poured a bit of water in Swan's mouth, tilting her head back so she compulsively swallowed. She repeated that a few more times before she bent down and drank a good bit herself, the water soothing the empty feeling in her stomach, but she knew it wouldn't work for long. They needed food, but she wasn't sure she would be able to leave Swan for any length of time today or if it would be even worth it in a canyon like this.

Again she pulled Swan back to their dry resting place and pulled out the shirt she had been using to try and keep the other woman's temperature down. Water trickled across flushed skin, taking away some of the heat, but not near enough, Regina thought. And yet she still kept at it. She bathed Emma with the damp shirt, make sure she drank regularly, and passed the time slowly, trying not to think about any more than was necessary. It was too easy to get lost in her thoughts, too easy to blame herself for this happening. Captains carried around a lot of guilt with them, it was part of the job really, the trick was to not let it weigh you down and let it make you make more mistakes. But right now, sitting in a cave in the middle of an almost barren canyon….that was very hard to do.

Regina's ears perked up as she thought she heard something in the canyon a little past midday. She left the cool cloth on Swan's forehead and walked quietly out towards the mouth of the cave. She listened hard again, but there was only the sound of the wind for a long time until finally, she heard it again, a scrabbling sound. It was too small to be another human, but maybe an animal. Something they could eat, perhaps. She crept forward, trying to pinpoint the sound, but in a canyon with rock walls, that was almost impossible with all the echoing.

She crept forward for a few more minutes, hoping she was heading in the right direction, but the noise started to fade away. Regina cursed and tried to walk in the opposite direction to see if it got any closer, but it was no use. Whatever had been moving around was gone and they weren't eating again today. She let out a slow, frustrated breath. Somehow they would make it out of this, but only if she didn't lose her head.

Regina returned to the cave and returned to helping keep Swan's fever down from a dangerous level, still listening to any noises that filtered in from the canyon.


	11. Chapter 11

Two days passed in much the same way. Swan wasn't waking up and that worried Regina to no end, but she still kept taking care of her diligently. She was beginning to feel the stress wear on her, even as her body recovered slowly. She was sure that she would be back to full strength if only they had food, but she hadn't had any luck on that front either.

Five days. They had been without food for five days. A human could survive at most, what, forty days? And if they got anywhere near that length of time they would be in no condition to move. A few more days, really, and they wouldn't be moving much. Muscle mass was the first thing to go after fat reserves and the both of them did not have many fat reserves to rely on, the Directive made sure of that. Working out their odds at this point, well it wasn't the sort of math that Regina wanted to do.

She just wanted Swan to open her eyes and say something snarky and stubborn. She wouldn't care at this point, as long as the other woman was ok. Regina smoothed the damp shirt over the woman's brow again. She was no longer flushed anymore, but getting paler by the hour it seemed. Regina's stomach churned at the look of her. She wasn't getting better, that was for sure.

Swan started to mumble, things that made no sense, if Regina could even understand her at all. After days in mostly silence, listening to the slightest sound outside the cave, the sound of another human was almost welcome, even if Swan wasn't aware at all.

"Swan…Emma." Regina had to clear her throat. Her voice wasn't used to being used after such a long time dormant. "You have to wake up. We have to get out of here. You were the one who said that. You were the one yelling at me because I wanted to stay here. You have to get up and prove to me that you're fine, remember?"

Regina wondered if it was really healthy to be talking like this to someone who was there, but wasn't really. Then again, nothing about this entire situation was healthy, so what was one more thing, really?

"I'll make the deal even sweeter for you, I won't even add any time to your toilet duty if you gloat excessively when you get up and walk right out of here. You shouldn't pass up something like that. Most people don't see that much mercy from me when they're such smartasses." Regina tucked a piece of Emma's hair back behind her ear. It wasn't the vibrant blonde it had been at the start of this. It was dull, oily, lifeless really. And Regina hoped that wasn't an omen of things to come.

She swallowed hard. "Just wake up."

* * *

Another day and a half passed and Swan got worse. Her breathing started to become labored and rattling. Regina did what she could to help. She propped the other woman up slightly while she was sleeping, but that only helped a little bit it seemed, and only for a little while before Swan's breathing sounded just as bad as it had before.

Regina kept trying to bring her fever down, but even now as much as she wiped at Swan with the damp t-shirt, she still seemed so very hot. There was no real doubt in her mind that Swan was dying in front of her, wasting away slowly because her body didn't know what it was not to fight.

"Come on Emma. You can beat whatever this is. You're as hard headed as a mule." She had been talking to Emma more and more as the hours passed. She didn't know if that made her delusional, or just…hopeful.

"I think whatever this is, is a much better punishment than toilet duty, don't you? You'll probably be super frustrated that you'll have to stay in bed for a while to recover. Tamara will make sure you do, too. She's a bit of a wild one, that one, but at least she knows what she's doing. Which I suppose is a very big understatement. She's one of the best doctors out there. But she'll still probably give you a lecture on how you shouldn't have gotten sick in the first place rather than sympathy for the fact that you did. Though I'm not exactly sure how you could have prevented this, so maybe not. She doesn't suffer idiots who hurt themselves doing something stupid."

Regina swallowed, stomach feeling hollow in more than one way. She was slowly dying too, she knew. And whatever was taking Emma from her would be merciful compared to starving to death. When—no if, she had to be positive, Swan died she would have to move along to see if she could find something, anything to eat. Hell, the dry grasses out in the canyon were starting to look good right about now.

"Your arm, though, she'll probably yell at you about that because you had to have made it worse dragging me out of the wreckage and towards the rocks. She'll tell you there would have been a better way." Regina laugh humorlessly. "I'm not making the med bay sound like a good place to be, am I? But right now being in med bay yelled at by Tamara seems like heaven compared to this. At least there would be food. God, I could eat so much of Granny's cooking right now it wouldn't even be funny. I think you would laugh, though, because her majesty was being so unladylike."

Emma's breath hitched and Regina tensed. She leaned forward, feeling at Emma's body. Her temperature was higher. She needed to cool down the cloth again. If Emma would just breathe again.

She relaxed as Emma finally started to breathe again, still labored and wheezing, but she was breathing at that's what really mattered.

"Come on, Swan, you have to make it. Just…don't leave me here alone, Emma."


	12. Chapter 12

Another day and Emma was barely breathing at all. Regina looked down at Emma, more of a shell of the woman who'd crashed on this planet than anything. She could feel it, the end, it was coming for Emma quickly now. All that talking and encouraging her to get better, all the keeping her fever down, making sure she kept drinking, it hadn't worked. Emma Swan would die in the next day. There was no way around it.

Regina sat back against the cave wall, looking over at Emma. She knew she should be doing something, trying to ease Emma's pain but she just couldn't make herself at the moment. She was frozen, unable to do anything but sit there, looking death straight in the face, and trying to come to terms with it. She'd always known that in the Directive she could die at any time. That was something ever solider thought about, left instructions in case of their death, lefts wills for, and any number of other things. But that was almost always a quick death they were guaranteed. No one lived long after being blown into space, or in a massive explosion. This was different, infection and starvation were somehow much more terrifying ways to die.

She curled herself into a ball and took a few deep breaths. She had to snap herself out of this. Like everything else it was mind over matter. She would make Swan's last hours more bearable for her, even if Emma didn't realize she had. Regina had to be the Captain she was. She shut her eyes hard and cleared her mind slowly, one item at a time being stuffed into a mental box and locked away. She would deal with these issues later. Or maybe she would never get a chance to, either way, they weren't important now.

Regina crawled forward once again, muscles twinging at the movement. She felt a little winded just from the trip across the cave. At the end of this she was not going to have a good time getting anywhere else to look for food, but she would still do it. Another trip to the pool to cool the shirt and she was back by Emma's side.

If she had thought Emma had looked bad a few days before, she was almost like a ghost now. Regina supposed that if such things were real, it was fitting that Emma looked so like one this close to death. But then she shook that thought off.

She started to wipe at Emma's brow. Without meaning to really, she started to hum gently. It was a tune she used to sing to Henry to put him to sleep, something her father before her had sang to her on nights when she was a restless little girl who refused to sleep. She'd loved that song, her one comfort in a house where her mother ruled with an iron fist. Sometimes now she would catch Henry humming it under his breath while his mind was elsewhere, distracted by books from the academy or tinkering around with one of his many projects. It warmed her heart and she knew, when the time came, Henry would sing the same song to his children.

But why she was humming it now, she wasn't sure. It was a warm bed time song meant to soothe children. It was not the sort of song someone sang a dying woman, but here she was anyway. She supposed there was nothing else she could do, and so she kept at it for a little while before she actually started to sing.

The words echoed all around them, building her voice up until it sounded like she was a full choir instead of one lone woman so very close to death. She felt tears prick at her eyes. How in the world had it come to this? Zelena was the simple answer, but nothing in life really had a simple answer, and so she kept singing, sound surrounding her as Emma gasped in tiny breath after breath.

She stopped as soon as she heard something, louder than the scrabbling of whatever tiny animals she had chased for food a few days earlier. Regina listened hard. It sounded like footsteps, like voices, all of them speaking in familiar sounds. She wondered if she was imagining things, if the lack of food had caused her to go a little crazy. It was a possibility. Otherwise, why in the world would Zelena's troops be looking for her now? They had been gone for days, anyone would assume they were dead, or very close to it.

Regina pushed herself up and scoured the area for weapons. There weren't a lot of options, or any really. There were rocks of assorted sizes and that was it. They would have to do. Regina picked up one, feeling the weight drag her down more than it should. She wondered how much force she could actually put behind it. Hopefully enough.

She crept to the edge of the cave and peeked around the rim carefully. She could see no one, but the sounds were getting louder. She could almost make out the words that the people were saying. They were definitely speaking her language, but that didn't mean much since it was also the United System's official language and everyone learned it. Regina listened harder, fist wrapping around the rock until it turned white.

"—sure she would be here?"

Regina's eyes widened as she finally could make out words. That voice, it was distorted by the echoes around the canyon, but it seemed familiar.

"I know Regina, she would have come this way. It was where she was heading in the first place. Her transport would have been able to fly through here but their ship wouldn't have. IT would have given her enough time to come up with a new strategy. It's classic academy stuff."

Regina gasped in a breath. Mal. She felt tears spring to her eyes. Mal was here. This wasn't an enemy come to finish them off, it was a rescue party. She almost called out, but then froze. What if it was still an enemy who had captured her crew to use them to find her and finish her off for good? It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. Zelena would want proof of her death.

She stepped back into the shadows and continued to watch the end of the canyon, waiting for her crew to crest the little ridge. She didn't have to wait long, another two minutes later they were there. Regina counted ten of them, looking battered in their exosuits, even from this distance. She took it that the battle that had ensued after their transport had crashed had not gone well for them. Which just lent credence to her theory that they could have been captured and forced out here.

But she saw no strangers among them. Unless they were being monitored from elsewhere, this looked like a legitimate rescue party. And really, what did she have to lose if it wasn't? She was going to die in this canyon one way or another if she wasn't being rescued.

"Mal!" Regina stepped out from the cave, letting the rock drop to the floor.

Mal looked up for half a second before she was dashing toward Regina. She stopped half an inch in front of her before wrapping Regina up in a gentle, but thorough hug.

"Regina, thank god. We thought you were dead, but then Blue swore the instruments in the ship said that two live bodies got out of the wreckage. We came to look for you as soon as we could." She stepped back and looked Regina over. "And frankly you look like hell."

Regina glared at her. "I wonder why? It couldn't be because I've been trapped in a canyon without food for who knows how long, could it?"

Blue stepped forward, a huge bruise on her face fading to sickly yellow-green. "It's been a little over a week."

Regina nodded, taking that in stride. "You brought medical supplies yes? And tell me that you brought a hover-stretcher. Emma—Swan needs it. She needs out of this canyon and medical attention as soon as possible."

Mal nodded. "We would have brought Tamara with us, but we didn't know how dangerous this mission was going to be and we didn't want to leave the ship without it's best doctor, especially now." She shook her head. "It is…not good up there, Regina."

"You can fill me in on the way up. For now Swan needs attention more than anything else. She's our best mechanic and I—we can't lose her in the middle of a battle like this if it's as bad as your voice makes it sound."

Mal nodded. She gestured to rest of the crew and they came forward with their supplies. Regina led them back to Swan and the others got to work lifting the other woman gently onto a hover-stretcher that they unpacked with the efficiency only officers of the Directive seemed to have. She watched vigilantly. She didn't want Emma to be mistreated after surviving this long. Regina really didn't think she would be, but still.

"Are you going to be able to walk back on your own?" Mal asked her, standing beside her, watching over the others as well.

Regina thought about that for a second, taking stock of her body and how it felt. She was weak, she knew that, and knew that if she walked now it would be slowly and that there was no real guarantee that she would make it all the way on her own. It would be slightly humiliating to actually have to be carried out, but in this case, if they needed to get out fast, it might be the better option.

"Did you bring two stretchers or one?" Regina asked.

"Two."

Regina nodded. "I could probably walk out, but it would be very slowly and I may not make it as far as I think."

Mal pulled one of the supply bags to her and took out the other stretcher, putting it together with ease. When she was done she motioned to Regina. "Hop on there, Captain. We don't have all day."

Regina took one last look at Emma, but she was secured back onto her own stretcher and the group around her was starting towards the mouth of the cave. Good. She climbed onto the stretcher and strapped herself on.

"Like you said, Mal, we don't have all day."

Mal rolled her eyes. "Stuck in a canyon for a week and you still manage to have attitude. Figures."

"You can take the Captain out of the ship but you can't take the Captain out of the girl, don't you know." Regina smiled weakly.

Mal lifted up the stretcher and then pulled it forward. "Oh, I'm well aware."

They made their way out of the canyon as fast as possible with two stretchers, but still, they made better time on the way out that Emma and Regina had made on the way in, though that wasn't surprising considering no one was injured and they didn't have to hide from a ship passing overhead.

The transport ship was waiting for them, along with a small fleet of fighters. Everyone cheered at the sight of them coming back with stretchers. All around them engines fired up.

Regina looked up at Mal. "Let me off this thing."

Mal gave her a dubious look but stopped long enough for Regina to pull herself up from the stretcher. She stood shakily and walked forward slowly towards the transport. The crowd in the ships cheered louder and Regina nodded at every one of them as she continued to walk. When she reached the transport she sat down in the first available seat and sighed heavily. She was very, very tired, but hopefully that would give the men something to rally around. Their captain was alive and at least somewhat well.

Quickly Emma was loaded onto the transport and then they were in the air. Mal sat down beside her and started to gently go over Regina for injuries. Regina really didn't have the energy to tell her that the only thing that was wrong with her was starvation. That walk had taken more out of her than she cared to admit.

"So how is everything?" Regina managed after a few minutes of Mal gently probing her various limbs and watching Regina's reactions.

Mal shook her head. "It's bad. Very bad, I don't know if we've been through anything like this before. That day you crash we took some heavy losses. A fourth of the flight crew…" she shook her head. "I ordered a retreat but they kept finding us and taking a few more of the crew with them at a time. We only have half the flight crew left and damned few fighters that can actually fly. There's not a lot of ammo left. There's not a lot of anything left, at least that's useful to fight. Granny still has enough food to feed an army, so there's always that."

Regina laughed humorlessly. "We'll go well fed into the afterlife, is what you're saying."

"Basically."

Regina's eyes drifted shut. How in the world was she supposed to get them out of this?

"The only reason we managed to get back here to rescue you was a jump. They weren't exactly expecting it and I don't think they're looking for us back here, but that won't last long." Mal rubbed her hands over her face, sitting back, down with her cursory check of Regina. She looked so tired that Regina didn't doubt that she'd barely slept during the entire week and half that Regina had been stuck in the canyon.

"I've been holding everything together as best as I could, but I admit one of the big reasons we sacrificed any time to come back here for you is that everyone agreed that having you would be a bigger asset than any downsides from this mission."

Regina nodded, accepting that without a fight. It was simple math really in a fight. You did what was best for the biggest amount of people. As a Captain she was prepared that those choices wouldn't always be in her best interest.

Fear gripped her though as the information finally sunk in. Half of the flight crew was now dead. Henry.

She reached out and grabbed onto Mal as hard as her weakened muscles would let her. "Mal, Henry?"

Mal's hand came to rest on top of Regina's. "He's fine. So's Lily. As the number of useable ships went down only the experience fliers actually went out on missions. He's frustrated that he can't help in any way and worried about you, but he's fine otherwise."

Regina breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god. Thank every single god that's out there."

Mal squeezed Regina's hand. "I know."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as the ship shook around them, breeching atmo once more. Regina's thoughts drifted to the fact that if she didn't do something to turn this confrontation around the fact that Henry and Lily were safe now wasn't going to mean a damn thing. She had to try something, anything. But she was so exhausted she didn't know what the hell that something or anything could be.

The shaking around them stopped and Regina felt the ship begin to float effortlessly. They were in space now, flying towards their ship. Regina was glad she didn't have the strength to get up and go see what the Rocinate looked like now. Her beautiful ship probably looked more like a scrap heap if what Mal was saying was true.

"So what are we going to do now, Captain?" Mal asked, blue eyes so very tired but just a little hopeful. Regina hated to crush that, but she knew it was important to be honest with her second in command.

"I don't know."


	13. Chapter 13

Tamara hovered over Regina with a huge frown. "Jesus, woman what did you do to yourself?"

Regina sat back and took her poking and prodding. Emma had been examined ahead of her and stabilized in a healing chamber. Tamara had assured Regina that in there she would make a fast and full recovery with the miracle of modern medicine helping her along.

"Nothing."

"I think that's the fucking problem." She shook her head. "You're telling me there was nothing to eat in that entire canyon."

Regina nodded.

"Uh huh, somehow I don't believe you. You aren't exactly known to take no for an answer." Tamara pulled back and looked over the tests that her other doctors had run while Tamara had been busy with Emma. "I would say that you need at least a day in a chamber, but you aren't about to take my advice. Not in the middle of a conflict. No matter what, you will sit down here for an hour while a vitamin infusion makes its way into your body. And I will shoot you with a dart gun if I have to, to make sure you get at least eight hours of sleep a night. Otherwise you will collapse and what good is that to the rest of us. I'll prepare a menu for Granny to help get you back on track again, but it's small portions and bland food for a few days while the vitamin infusions do their job. A day in the chamber and you would be fine, but whatever you want."

"Vitamin infusions and you'll allow Mal down here for the hour I have to sit still with an IV in my arm."

"Yes, Captain." She rolled her eyes. "I might as well just tell people around here to jump off a cliff for as much as they listen to my rest and relax instructions." She sighed heavily and looked so very tired for just a moment. "But damn it, Regina, if you can fix this mess we're in I'll forgive you this once. I'll get everything ready for the drip."

Regina nodded and Tamara walked off. She clicked her comm link on and called Mal down to her. Mal was at her side ten minutes later, grim look on her face.

"What is it?" Regina asked.

"Scanners have shown the AI have a lock on our signal again and they're coming towards us once more. We have a day at the most before their here and everyone is so over worked right now that we'll have maybe fifty ships up and running with pilots at that point. There's no way." She looked away. "There's just no way."

Regina let out a slow breath as Tamara showed up again silently and set up the drip, probing Regina's arm for a vein, mumbling under her breath that at least Regina had had the common sense to stay hydrated during her idiotic adventures.

"Has anyone tried to call the Directive?" Regina asked.

Mal shook her head. "We've been on radio silence since you ordered it. Honestly, I was in the middle of waging a literal war and forgot that there was anyone else out there."

Regina understood the mind frame, only caring about you and yours. It was one of the only ways to get through a major battle intact. "Ok, if they have a lock on us then there's nothing stopping us from trying to send out a message to the Directive requesting anyone in the area come for back up. God knows we need it. Have Commander Mer open a line as soon as she can. Have her call headquarters first, but if that doesn't work out she's to work on every single ship that we know of that's in the area."

Mal nodded and went off to relay Regina's orders.

Tamara clucked her tongue, looking up at the IV. "Your body is pulling this in like a sponge."

"I figure it would be after a week and a half and recovering from a crash and the resulting concussion."

"You didn't tell me about the concussion." Tamara looked cross.

"I told one of the others. My scans came back normal for that, you looked them over."

"I still like having all information." She poked Regina gently in the shoulder. "That will be done sooner than an hour but as fast as that's diffusing I want to hang another bag and you'll sit here and like it."

"Yes, doctor."

Tamara walked off again and Regina was left to wait for Mal. Except it was taking a lot longer than she thought it would. She looked over at Mal, standing off to the side of the medical bay, face tired and stretched in the scowl, mouth moving rapidly, but speech not carrying to where Regina was sitting. If she put in enough effort she could read the other woman's lips, but she didn't feel the need. Mal would let her know what was wrong the minute she came back.

The minutes stretched on and Regina's first IV finished. Tamara came and efficiently replaced it and disappeared again. The woman was overly busy. All the beds around Regina were filled with soldiers in various states of recovery. Regina looked them over with a critical eye. There were some that could fight if absolutely necessary within the next twenty-four hours, but not a lot. That did not make her feel confident.

Mal finally appeared again. "Regina, we have a problem," she said quietly.

"What do you mean we have a problem?" Regina asked sitting up straighter, pulling a little bit at her IV line.

"Mer can't get a line of communication out to anyone in the Directive. The equipment all reads as working fine. It was in part of the ship that they didn't target, but nothing. She could get a message out to one of the local planets, so we're sure everything works, but the Directive is just a big blank."

Regina scowled. "How is that possible?"

"She said the only way would be if our radio code was black balled across every ship. Maybe vice versa if one of the AI hacked into the system. She couldn't be sure."

"Tell her to figure it out, I don't care what she has to do to be certain, have her do it. We need to know. If it's Zelena blocking us it's one thing, but if it isn't…" Regina trailed off.

"I know. I told her to get on it already. She's going to keep trying, but for now it looks like we're on our own."

On their own with very little resources and man power. Regina's mind raced with ways to try and get the ship out of this situation, but she was coming up mostly empty. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. God damn it. But then she took another deep breath and let it out. She couldn't think logically if she wasn't calm.

"How are the engines and our fuel supply?" Regina asked.

"Nothing's been hit but we've only got about one jump left in us before we have to stop somewhere for fuel. All the jumping we've been doing has been eating through it."

Regina nodded. That made sense. "Tell the science officers to plot the farthest jump they can. Make sure they put us somewhere that we can get to fuel, other than that, I don't care where they put us. Less populated would be better, but all that matters now is time that can be bought. If we're on our own we need to repair as much as we can, let our men rest, let them heal, get as many of them on deck as possible."

Mal nodded. "I'll order it."

Regina looked up at her IV. "I'll be up on the bridge as soon as I can to help out. You need sleep more than anyone here. Have you slept at all in the week I was gone."

Mal shook her head. Regina glared at her.

"I know that you can go longer than a human because you're Draconian, but even that long is pushing past your limits."

Mal crossed her arms, adopting a haughty look. "You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same."

"I can't tell you that, but as your commanding officer I can still chide you for behavior that I would have done, and you know it."

Mal snorted. "You would have thought dropping you into a canyon and slowly starving to death would have made you less bossy."

Regina laughed quietly. "Of course not."

"Well then, see you on the bridge."

When her executive officer was out of sight Regina dropped her head into her hands and massaged her temples. How the hell were they going to get out of this? Running away would only work for so long before they ran out of luck and the AI and Zelena found them and ambushed them. If Regina was being pessimistic about their outlook this next jump would be the last real one. After that the AI would probably do what she would do, shoot out their engines or at least damage them enough to where they couldn't jump anymore. They would be sitting ducks then. She would have to come up with something, but God above she didn't know what.

* * *

Regina stood on the bridge, legs a bit shaky, but she was not wavering. The jump was set up, the engine room and science officers in perfect communication. The countdown had started. A Queen class ship could jump through galaxies at a time when in perfect condition, but with the shape their ship was in, they had opted to only jump from one to another. It would put light years between them and the AI and hopefully give them enough time, but Regina wasn't so sure.

The atmosphere was strained around her, belying the applause she had walked into on her return to the bridge. She had survived and they were all glad, but they were still fighting for their lives and Regina could practically taste that on her tongue, thick, metallic and unpleasant.

"Five minutes until jump," the robotic voice said over everyone's comm link.

Regina sat down in her chair and strapped in. Mal called out her last orders and joined her.

"I have orders from Tamara to make you eat at every single meal," Mal said quietly.

"Bring my food to me then. I'm not leaving this bridge in the next few hours unless Henry is dying."

And as if his name had summoned him, Henry was by her side engulfing her in a hug. "Mom," he said, voice tight with tears.

"Henry," Regina breathed out before breathing him in. He smelled the same as he always had, plus a bit of cologne, a scent that had been added in his late teen years, but hadn't taken away from the smell of her little boy, only shown that he was truly growing up.

"You're really ok." He sank to his knees in front of her. "I came as soon as I could to see you, but there's just so much going on that I couldn't get away."

Regina pushed his bangs away from his face. "It's ok Henry, duty first in times of conflict, you know that. I taught you that."

He nodded. "But still." He swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing up and down under his skin. "I thought you were dead. I should've—"

"Nonsense. You are here now and that's what matters. Everything is secure on your station for the jump."

"Yeah, of course. I've gotten a bit more practice at it than I thought I would on this first mission."

Regina laughed humorlessly at that. "And so you have."

"Two minutes until jump."

"Come, find a seat and strap in since you're up here. We can talk more after the jump, ok?" She patted his cheek gently.

"Ok." He stood up and went behind the captain's chair, seeking out one of the empty chairs in the science section, talking easily with the women officers, Daniel's charming smile affixed firmly to his face. Regina breathed in and out slowly. That look had always sent a little stab of pain through her, even all these years later.

"One minute until launch."

"After you bring me food you are going off shift for at least eight hours to sleep," Regina said to Mal without looking at her.

Mal didn't argue and Regina guessed that she had nodded, but she hadn't seen the gesture. The last few seconds to the jump passed and they slammed forward once again. Regina felt the engines shutter hard as they raced forward. She knew that that couldn't be a good sound and prayed that the engines held out just a little longer until they got to their destination.

Twenty seconds later the ship slowed at its predetermined landing location and Regina let out a breath. Still, she double tapped her comm link and got Lieutenant Commander Arenndale on the line.

"Captain?" The woman answered breathlessly.

"What happened down there?" Regina asked. "I could feel the engines shuddering oddly from up here."

"One of the vent ducks was damaged in the fighting and it didn't register until we started to jump and the output of the engines quadrupled. Some of the exhaust got trapped and increased the pressure inside the engines. That's what caused the shuddering. The engines should still work, but we won't be jumping again until I can repair everything. Half speed will be the fastest we can go until then. I'll have to shut the engine that was damaged down to fix it and the damaged vent."

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. Well. At least they weren't completely stranded. "Get on it then. The sooner you can have the ship back in complete working order the better."

"Of course, Captain, I understand the situation. And welcome back if I may."

"Thank you Lieutenant, and thank you for keeping the engines together."

"Of course."

Regina double tapped her comm link and signed off. She looked over at Mal. "Granny will have dinner ready in half an hour, yes?"

"If the jump didn't interfere with her prep, yeah."

"I was serious about you getting me food and then going off duty, but in the interim I want you to compile a report of the hours worked by everyone on the ship in the last week. Those who have had the least sleep will go on an eight hour break first. We'll go a third of the crew at a time and keep doing that until the AI find us again. I know we are trained for sleep deprivation, but this is too much."

Mal nodded and set to doing just as Regina ordered. Regina looked over at Henry and gestured for him to come back over. He came over and sat easily at her feet.

"How are you holding up?" Regina asked him. He had bags under his eyes. She hadn't seen him this tired ever, not even during his exams at the academy.

"I could sleep for a small eternity, but I'm ok. I've been helping repair the ships. I can't do much with what Emma taught me, but anything helps right now and it's better than just sitting around because we don't have enough ships to send me out."

Regina nodded. "Good, I am glad you are putting yourself to good use." She ruffled his hair. "I taught you something after all."

He smirked at her. "Or the academy did."

"And why did you want to go there exactly?" Regina cocked an eyebrow.

"Right, right, point made mom." He rolled his eyes. He stopped and looked at her for a long moment. "Are you really ok?"

Regina nodded hesitantly. "Honestly, I am. I will be better when all of this is over…and I will have some weight off my mind when Officer Swan is recovered. It takes more than a concussion and a couple days of not eating to get to me. You know that."

"It was more than that and you know it, but I'm glad that you're ok."

She sighed. "Yes, and I'm glad you are as well." She ruffled his hair one last time. "Now go back to your station. At some point today you'll be commanded to have some time off to go sleep for more than a couple hours at a time. I'll talk to you later."

He pushed himself off the floor. "Ok, bye, Captain." Henry smiled once before walking off.

Mal handed her the report a few minutes later. "The commands for rest have already been sent out. They will be implemented after each meal to give them the longest time possible to sleep."

"Good. Now it should be time to grab whatever food Granny has been told to prepare for me. After that you are off shift with the first shift of people on rest."

"Yes, Captain." She stood and let the bridge, leaving Regina alone to try and tease a strategy from the wreckage of her beloved ship. Going through the files on her data pad, it didn't look promising, and yet she wasn't going to give up. She settled down in her chair and read as much as she could.


	14. Chapter 14

A day past quickly, almost in a haze. Regina had fried herself trying to think of a way to get them out of this predicament. But the AI had knowledge of all Directive strategies and they had more firepower at this point, and the technology to turn their best and newest weapons against them. All that she had come up with when Tamara bodily dragged her from the bridge was that she was going to have to come up with something never before seen to surprise the AI, but how was she supposed to do that? Everything had already been done. There were no new ideas.

Regina tapped her fingers against her crossed arms as she looked through the glass of the med chamber. Emma floated serenely in the bright green goo, blonde hair floating around her, looking almost neon yellow in the liquid. Tamara was beginning the process to release Emma from the confines of the device. All her vitals were stable, she was recovered from the infection and her broken arm was healed. The starvation wasn't quite fixed yet, but Regina needed her best mechanic on board and Tamara had understood if only grudgingly. The only way they would have any chance at all is if they got more of their fighters back online and retrofitted them to carry more weapons than ever.

The goo started to drain slowly and in another minute it was gone. The walls came apart with a hiss and slid down into the floor, revealing a still pale, but much healthier Emma. Regina stepped forward and looked at her, a feeling of relief washing over her. She had actually pulled through, thank god.

"She'll wake up in the next few minutes, but I'd give her about twenty before I'd ask her anything serious. The meds have a short half-life but not that short, and you want to be sure she's really of sound mind."

Regina nodded and Tamara went out to attend the rest of her patients. She had issued the order to utilize all of the healing chambers to bring those in the med ward back to fighting condition. It would exhaust their supplies, but if they were all dead at the end of this, then it wouldn't matter, and if they somehow lived, then old fashioned medicine would have to be enough until they managed to get back to another planet to resupply. They would be glad to just be alive, she thought.

Emma blinked her eyes open, the green of them so much tamer than the fluid she'd just been suspended in they almost looked washed out. Her face scrunched and Regina wondered what was wrong. She opened her mouth to call Tamara back, but before she could Emma spoke.

"Your majesty?" She blinked a few more times. "Where are we? Did we die? Is that why this place is so bright and white, because it's heaven or some shit?"

Regina snorted. "Hardly, we're in the ship's med bay."

Emma sat up just slightly and looked around before slumping back now. "Oh, ok, that makes a lot more sense since I didn't think I would end up anywhere near heaven. Also explains the slightly drugged feeling." She rubbed her hands over her face. "Why am I sticky though?"

"Healing chamber," Regina said simply.

"Oh, right, ok." She pushed herself up slowly and Regina stepped forward, ready to catch her if Emma faltered. Her muscles held though and Regina was relieved.

Emma looked down at her formerly broken arm. "Well, that's fixed, awesome. That was getting annoying." She sighed heavily. "What happened to me? Last I remember is you waking me up after I spent the night watching over you and arguing about moving on, though even that's fuzzy."

"Tamara said that when you broke your arm it didn't respond normally. Your body tried to start healing it, but it ended up attacking it instead and started to treat the tissue as infection. The immune response left you open to actual infection and from there…well you were at death's door after a week and a half when they came to rescue us. It didn't help that he had nothing to eat during that entire time to help keep your strength up."

"That explains being able to count my ribs too. Jesus, how the hell was I that god damn lucky?" She groaned and set her face in her hands. "How did you get them to rescue us?"

Regina shook her head even though Emma couldn't see it. "I didn't. They came for us on a hunch of Mal's and out of desperation. Things aren't going well in the fight. I took care of you the entire time and was worried to leave you alone. After the first few days I wasn't going much of anywhere either, really."

Emma looked up at that. "Wait, you stayed the whole time and looked out for me."

Regina nodded. "Of course I did. It was the least I could do after you looked out for me." She hesitated before stepping forward and squeezing Emma's bare shoulder. "I'm beyond glad that you are ok, Swan. I don't think you have any idea."

Emma reached up and squeezed Regina's hands before dropping her arm again. "Thanks, same goes for you." She shook her head. "Ugh, I hate when meds wear off."

"I do as well. At least they have purpose."

"You said it wasn't going well?"

"No, it's not. I know you just stepped out of the healing chamber, but I need you right now. The mechanics are a bit lost without you and you are the best of them even without that. Right now we have to figure out a way to get as many things back on line as fast as possible. And if that could include the ships that the AI could manipulate the last time…well at this point that might be our literal saving grace. I need everything maxed out and ready to go and god knows how much time we have to do it. We've been lucky to have the day we did."

Emma pushed herself up off the bottom of the chamber and stood still for a second, getting used to the feel of using her muscles again. "Ok, give me like twenty to get dressed and I'll be down there figuring out what needs done. Do you want me to report to you or to Commander Midas like normal?"

Regina bit the inside of her lip. Midas would do, but. "Me, report directly to me. God knows I have no idea what our strategy will be in the next battle and information as soon as we have it will only help me."

Emma nodded. "Alright."

"You'll have less people to work with," Regina said quietly. "Most of the fighters…they didn't make it. But anyone who is left you will have at your disposal."

Emma took that news with a grim face. "Well then. I guess we get to show those bastards that all's fair in love and war next time, won't we?"

"Yes, I suppose we will." Regina turned away to look back out at the med bay. "Report to me after every meal. Tamara will probably have you on the same diet I am. It's mostly bland nutrition rich food right now to help our bodies recover from the bout of starvation. And she'll probably also drag you off the deck to make sure you sleep eight hours a day. If I have to listen to her, you should too."

"Yes, your majesty. I mean Captain." Emma smiled sheepishly.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Nice to know your brush with death hasn't changed you, Swan. I will see you after lunch then." She nodded once more before walking from the bay.

* * *

Another day passed in stops and starts. Regina had no idea still of what she was going to do, but the ship was at least repairing itself fairly quickly. She looked over the reports that said their shields should operate at one hundred percent capacity and that the test was scheduled for a few hours later to make sure. Commander De Vil had fixed a great many of her weapons and was in the process of retrofitting a few for increased fire power. And Emma of course had rallied the troops down on the flight deck, even though they were exhausted, even though they were a bit beyond hope, it seemed that Emma had a way with people because they were working well and from what she could tell, working in a positive atmosphere. Perhaps Emma did have a great many hidden talents after all besides being a monumental pain in the ass when Regina was trying to pilot a transport.

Regina stood up and stretched. It was lunchtime and Emma would be giving her a report soon. They had just been meeting in the mess since that was the easiest place to meet over mealtimes. She was actually looking forward to it considering staring at a bunch of numbers and trying to come up with a strategy was absolutely mind numbing. Emma at least provided entertainment after their meeting on the progress of repairs was done. She kept going over completely ridiculous strategies to defeat the AI. One of yesterday's plans had involved honest to god unicorns and rainbows. Space had a great many creatures, but unicorns weren't one of them.

She looked over at Mal. "Take the command for a bit. I'm going to lunch. You want me to bring back something or do you want to go down yourself later?"

"Bring me back something. Lily's on her rest shift now so I have no reason to go down." Mal frowned at the data pad in front of her. "But yes, I have the command."

"Good." She made her way down to the mess, where Emma was already sitting down, two trays of food on the table in front of her. Regina walked over and sat down, stealing the tray closest to her. She frowned at the food but said nothing. Bland, nutritionally dense food in small quantities was what her body needed, but it really didn't mean she had to like it.

"I know right? When do you think the doctor is going to let us eat real food again?" Emma scooped up a bite and chewed, sighing dramatically.

"I don't know. She'll probably keep us on this a few more days than necessary knowing her. She likes to teach idiots a lesson."

Emma snorted. "Right, how the fuck were we idiots? We got shot down for fucks sake. Not exactly our fault."

"Probably more for the fact that I couldn't find us any food in the canyon than the fact that we got shot down." Regina started to eat.

"You know, your majesty, I think she might be a bigger pain in the ass than you are."

Regina glared at her. "Not helping, Swan."

She laughed. "Right, anyway, so we've gotten another twenty ships repaired since morning. They'll go on their test flights after lunch, but I checked them myself. They'll fly for sure. Just gotta work out of the bugs if there are any." She spooned another bite of the almost colorless mush into her mouth and winced. "That brings us up to a two hundred fifty fighters that are operable." She looked thoughtful for a second. "It would be a thousand if we could find a way to mod the new fighters so those bastards couldn't control them. Then we'd only need another five hundred before we'd have enough for every pilot we have left. It would be pushing it, but we could do that in a few days. But I'd have to figure out how the fuck to mod the new ships first."

Regina ate for a few long moments, thinking about what Emma was saying. "Well, it has to do with the computers in the ships obviously. I would almost say just rip out the flight computers of the old fighters that are too far gone to fix and patch them onto the new ones."

Emma sat up straighter. "Jesus Christ, why the fuck didn't I think of that? I was toying with ideas of reprogramming the whole damn system and that would take forever, but your idea should work." She sank back down after a second. "Of course, there would be no way to test that the mods had actually worked unless we put one of the ships out there during the fight with the AI." She shook her head, a few wisps of blonde hair floating in the induced breeze. "That would be way too risky.

Regina bit the inside of her lip. On the one hand if it didn't work then a great deal of man power would be wasted moding the new fighters that could have been spent repairing the old fighters. On the other hand, if they only spent that time fixing old fighters, it would mean they had less ships. Everything that had been in service for the original battle with the AI had been rather severely damaged. Emma had started repairing the least damaged ships first. The time a ship took to repair was only going to go up as the days went on.

"Perhaps one of the science officers could emulate their programming, or at least something like it, enough that we could actually know where it would work or not." She tried to weigh the risks and rewards to the plan, but since she was grasping at straws for any other ideas, she knew she was a bit biased.

"Are you sure?"

"Give me until after dinner. I'll talk to the science officers and see if it can be done. In the meantime keep doing what you have been."

Emma nodded. "Ok then."

They fell silent for a bit, eating what was left of their food and shoving the trays away in mild disgust. Granted it had only been two days of tasteless food for her, but Regina was beginning to contemplate asking Tamara to put her back on real food despite the probable consequences.

"So, have you come up with anything?" Emma asked, sipping her water. She set down the glass and smirked at Regina.

Regina sighed dramatically. "No, but I suppose it's time for more of your idiotic ideas, isn't?"

"Of course it is. This is the highlight of my day."

"I suppose you may then." Regina wasn't about to tell her that she actually looked forward to this as well. No, that would happen over her dead body.

"All right, this time I think I should ride Mal or Lily towards the main ship and…"

Regina continued to listen as her plan went downhill from there. Mal and Lily wouldn't let anyone ride them, and that was the smallest problem Emma had. But Regina was smiling, if only inwardly by the end of the meal, and that's what mattered most she supposed. She bid Emma goodbye once more and walked up to the bridge.

"Commander Sherwood," Regina said as she made her way back onto the bridge.

Sherwood was at her side in a second, tan skin looking paler than normal and bags under her eyes. It was the same look that everyone on the ship wore, but for some reason it looked worse on the other woman. Regina almost asked what was wrong, but she thought that that would be rather moot considering. What was wrong was what was wrong with everyone else, sleep deprivation and their own deaths hanging over their head.

"Yes, Captain?" she asked.

"Is it possible for you to emulate the AI's programming? It doesn't need to be a perfect replica by any means, but Officer Swan was thinking of ways to modify the new fighters so that the AI could not control them and she needs a way to test them in some way before we put them out into the field."

The Commander frowned and thought for a long second. "I mean we have gathered a fair bit of information on them, but I'm not sure that it's enough for me to actually to build a program based on it, at least not one that would be an accurate representation. I would need to look into it more before I could give you a more definitive answer."

Regina nodded. "Do that then. We need to spend out manpower wisely and the ships that are left to repair are…"

"I understand. I will get right on it and enlist some help as well."

"Good, take who you need."

Regina walked to her chair, leaving Sherwood to do what she needed. And again she was faced with numbers and plans and dead ends. A headache started to pound at the back of her skull. Oh, it was going to be a long day.


	15. Chapter 15

"Captain?" Commander Sherwood tapped her on the shoulder a few hours later, right before dinnertime.

Regina looked up at her, having to shake herself just a bit to actually clear her head. "Yes?"

"We've put together a program to emulate the AI. From what we can tell it will do what you want it to in that it will allow us to know if they could take over a ship. Other than that, I don't think it's representative of anything else about them, otherwise it would be very easy to map their thought patterns and predict their strategies. And I'm only about sixty percent sure it will do what we really think it does."

Regina sighed. "And that's as refined as you could get it?"

"We'll keep working on it, but that's all we could really get from the fragments of data we have."

"Well, I suppose sixty percent is better than anything lower than that so we should be thankful. Thank you, Commander, I will let Officer Swan know that she can go ahead with her plans."

The commander nodded and stepped back. Regina double tapped on her comm link and connected to Emma.

"Captain?" Emma's voice came over the connection loud and clear.

"Swan, the science officers think that they have a good enough emulation of the AI that we could test a modified fighter."

"Awesome. I'll get right on that then. If I start now I should be able to get it done right after dinner ends."

Regina frowned. "You can't skip a meal, Swan. Tamara would have your head. And that's beside the point that two days ago you were dying in a canyon of starvation and infection."

"Bring me our daily gruel then. I'll eat while I'm fixing everything. I'm good at multitasking."

"You'll get grease in your food."

Emma laughed. "Yeah, well, it wouldn't be the first time and it probably won't be the last time either. I haven't died yet."

"God knows what your insides look like, though." Regina snorted.

"Eh, doc probably patched me up from whatever its done when she put me in the healing chamber. I'm good as new, don't you know."

"So you say."

"Anyway, I'm going to start ripping out a console. I'll see you at dinner?"

"Yes, I'll be there. I'll ask one of your many minions where you are as per normal."

"Good."

Regina double tapped her comm link again and shut the connection. She frowned at herself. Since when did she bring food to lesser officers? Whatever, it meant nothing. It was just because she had been trapped in the canyon with Emma and now she felt responsible for her. That was it. It would fade.

Regina massaged the bridge of her nose and went back to planning.

* * *

The flight deck was even more chaotic than it had been a two weeks before. Broken fighters were lined up as neatly as they could and people were scrambling everywhere. The noise from all the tools was almost deafening. Regina grabbed one of the pairs of ear muffs from the rack and started to walk around the deck, looking for a person who knew where Emma was.

But it turned out that that wasn't really necessary because the next second Regina saw a flash of gold hair high above the deck as Emma walked along the top of one of the new fighters, hefting a large wrench and kicking what looked to be some very expensive computer parts off the top and down the side. Regina was glad there seemed to be no one around her because otherwise she would have to lecture the other woman in safety procedures. Regina smirked at that thought. Emma would just roll her eyes and be a pain in the ass.

She scowled at the warm feelings that brought up. Since when had she got the warm and fuzzies about one of her soldiers being an idiot and difficult to deal with? She huffed and hugged the containers of food in her arms a bit closer and stomped over to the ship.

"Swan!" she yelled, hoping that the other woman would hear her over the din, but she thought that it was probably more likely that she would bust her own ear drums first with her own yelling first. She looked down at what she was holding. It was going to be a bitch to shift everything around so she could wave at the other woman.

It turned out she didn't have to do anything. Emma dropped to the floor beside her, landing in a crouch before popping up again with a smile. She gestured to her ears and Regina adjusted the ear muffs so that one ear was free.

"Come on, most of the work I have to do now is inside anyway and it'll be quieter in there."

Regina nodded and followed Emma into the ship and sighed as some of the din from the outside quieted as promised. She took off the muffs and let the hang around her neck. Emma ripped off a panel beside the flight controls and sat down, taking out a few tools and starting to strip wires and do a host of things to them with such quickness that Regina couldn't really track everything.

She sat out everything for their dinner, a little bigger portions this time, and the food wasn't quite as bland. Regina saw some Altantian spiced fish and her mouth watered. Thank god that the bland nutritionally spiked oatmeal or whatever they had been eating before seemed to be almost at an end.

"Eat, Swan, the wires will still be there if you stuff a bite of food in your mouth every now and again." Regina picked up her own fork and started to eat the tasteless mush that there was some of. She might as well get it out of the way and eat the things she wanted last.

Emma reached out blindly, grabbed a container, and brought it towards her. Regina had to hold out her fork to her and Emma eventually found that as well with a bit of groping. She took a few bites and chewed slowly as her hands went back to wiring. She repeated the process until her first container of food was gone. Regina pushed the second one forward to reduce the blind grabbing and Emma grunted her thanks.

Regina herself ate slowly, relishing the food that actually had some sort of taste. She never really thought of taste as a super important thing, but now she was sure it was. Emma finished up long before she did, eating bites at a time, even with the pauses to wire things. Still, Regina didn't leave. Technically she was off shift and this was still her dinner time. Tamara wouldn't be after them yet. Or more likely, one of Tamara's minions wouldn't be after them to tell them that the doctor ordered them to bed.

Emma sat back after another long while and sighed, brushing her hands off on her dirty coveralls before cracking her knuckles with a sickening sound. Regina flinched but said nothing.

"It should be good to go now. By myself the mods only took around four hours, with a regular crew on like this it should only take an hour, maybe less. I'm faster at this than most people, but still there aren't five of me. Provided the tests go well we should be able to get all of these done in a day if we put everyone on this job."

Regina nodded. "Good, good, I'll order the test to be done while we rest, if you have no objections?"

"Nah, it should fly just like a regular fighter now. Albeit these things are the clunkiest design to come out of the Directive workshop in the last century, but that's neither here nor there. They'll still fly."

She snorted. "I agree with the clunkiness factor, but right now ships are ships." She collected all the trash. "But if you're completely done, come on. Tamara will be here soon enough to prod us into bed like toddlers."

Emma pushed herself off the floor and secured the panel back in place, grumbling. "Like, I get where the doc is coming from, but at the same time, we're sort of in the middle of a war, you know?"

Regina hummed her agreement as she stood up. "I suppose she can't have her Captain and the chief mechanic fainting on duty. I believe she is busy enough with the others she has in the med bay."

"Yeah, I guess I get that too, but she's like—"

"Oh, believe me, I know, this isn't my first tour with Tamara as the head doctor. She makes up for the attitude with the fact that is one of the best at what she does."

They walked off the ship and Regina pulled the ear muffs back up. Emma just shrugged at her and mouthed 'used to it' to which Regina rolled her eyes. She was going to go deaf and then Tamara was going to throw a fit at having to repair the damage when Emma could have prevented it easily.

Together they exited the flight deck, Regina hanging her borrowed muffs up and sighing at the silence of the hall. She turned to Emma.

"How can you be used to anything like that?" she asked Emma.

"I mean usually it isn't that bad considering we are usually only repairing a handful of fighters at a time, and usually nothing with that level of damage, with half the people on deck, but even with that, you learn to tune it out. Same as I imagine you tune out the people on the bridge so you can get whatever work you need done. The human brain can filter out sounds quite well." Emma shrugged.

"And what are you, Swan, an expert on such matters?" She cocked an eyebrow.

Emma gave Regina the same expression. "What, the grease monkey isn't allowed to read books on the human brain in her spare time now?"

Regina was slightly surprised at that information and filed it away for the future. "Of course you are, but most people do not. Leisure time is usually saved for leisurely book, beach reads and all that."

"I've never actually been to a beach on any planet. I've spent most of my life on a ship or in the Directive somewhere."

She paused at that information. With the knowledge she did have of Emma's childhood, it made sense of course, but she supposed it was just one of those things you didn't think about.

"Whenever we get back from this hellish mission go to the ones on Enchnte Tria." She sighed, remembering her home planet well even after years. "They're beautiful, maybe a little cool for swimming at some point, but still beautiful and relaxing. I went when I was a kid, and perhaps my memories are skewed by the filter of youth, but they were one of my favorite places."

Emma nodded. "Maybe, depends on what Ingrid wants to do. She takes different trips when we're on leave, not to beaches or anything, but interesting trips to planets we've never been to before." She looked away. "Mostly we help out the locals, so they're never like the rich planets, but they're still beautiful in their own way."

This woman beside her took what little time she had off and she used it to help others. She was an annoying pain in the ass, but perhaps underneath that she was a good person. Well, there was no real perhaps about it. She was a good person. Amazing how pain and the ass and good person didn't have to be as mutually exclusive as she thought.

"I don't know what I'm going to do on leave now. Henry is in the Directive and on my ship. I spent every leave before this next one visiting him. Perhaps I could always show him my home planet as well…"

She trailed off. They were talking about this next leave as if it was a reality, not something that had a very slight chance of actually happening if only they actually made it through this conflict. It was comforting in a way, that they still had such hope, but at the same time it caused an ache to blossom in the pit of Regina's stomach. She still didn't have a plan, and even if the ship tested out ok overnight they would only have fifteen hundred ships, what little ammo they had left for the ship's guns, and their wits to protect them from a force that Mal estimated was at least twice as big as theirs. And if Regina knew Zelena, all of her cards wouldn't be on the table just yet. Everything weighed on her twice as hard for a few seconds.

Emma brought her out of it with just one touch. She patted Regina on the shoulder, stopping at a door that led to some of the middle officer's bunks. "Don't over think it. God knows everyone around here is doing that, and I'm not exactly sure it's doing anyone any good. You'll try your best and that's all your men could ever ask of you. That's how we all feel, not just me, and not just because you literally saved my life. Don't think I don't know that you did. You could have just left me in that cave to slowly dehydrate to death or whatever else, but that's not the point here. You're doing the best you have with what you have."

Regina scowled at the woman. "That wasn't what I was thinking about."

"Oh, it was, I could read it plain as day on your face. I think all Captains sort of have a hero complex going on. Well, that or they're power hungry bastards, but the good ones have the hero complex thing." She shrugged. "You can't ever control everything, contrary to what they tell you at the academy. The world doesn't work like that."

Regina was about to reply, to rip this woman in front her a new one for thinking she knew Regina at all, but then Tamara's voice was ringing out in the hall.

"Dinner finished thirty minutes ago. Why aren't the two of you in bed?"

Emma looked up innocently. "We were just on our way to bed when we got talking. Sorry."

Tamara read through the innocent act immediately. "Uh huh, go through the door now and get in your bunk. I'll give you a sedative if I have to and haul you there myself. No other sane doctor would let you out of the med bay yet, so be lucky that's even an option." She crossed her arms and glared.

Emma just nodded. "Right then, night your majesty." She opened the door and slipped through without another word, but Regina swore she saw the other woman stick out her tongue for just half a second before the door closed.

Tamara turned her eyes on Regina. "And don't even get me started on you. You're supposed to be the most responsible of us all, and you're just out wandering the halls when you should be sleeping, you know, to recover from your near death experience."

"My bunk is another two minute walk. Half an hour less of sleep will not kill me immediately."

"And that type of thinking will get you into hot water. Go." Tamara pointed down the hall.

"You're going to follow me until I'm actually in my room, aren't you?"

"Of course I am, now move."

Regina rolled her eyes but complied.


	16. Chapter 16

The test of the ship had been successful. Regina looked down at the number of ships that she now had two days later and felt at least a little bit better. A little over twelve hundred ships wasn't going to get her much, but it was something. She massaged her temples and went back to the plans she had been drawing up for the next attack. It seemed like forever that she'd been working on them when really it had been less than a week. She could feel their time ticking down, but still her mind was blank.

Above her the dinner bell rang. Regina groaned. Another day without anything substantial. She was going to lead them to their certain doom at this pace.

What she needed was a night away from thinking about everything. Regina bit her lip as she stood up and gave the command to Mal. Tamara had gotten a little less strident, but she didn't want to poke the bear. One good way to get her mind off of things was to talk to Henry. They hadn't really talked much since he had come up to visit her on the bridge. She could have their food sent up to her rooms and they could have a nice family dinner.

She nodded. That's what she would do. If nothing else at least she would spend some time with her son.

Regina walked off the bridge and towards the flight deck, hoping to catch Henry as he emerged from his shift. She got there just in time so see Henry turning the corner towards the mess hall and sprinted a few steps to catch up with him.

"Henry," she said as she turned the corner.

Henry turned to face her with a familiar face at his side. Emma smiled up at her, looking about as tired as Regina felt, face smudged with grease, but her hands already washed clean. Henry was in much the same state and Regina couldn't help but think how cute the look was on him. She would never say that out loud, though, since Henry was likely never to forgive her.

"Yeah, Mom?" He asked.

"I just wanted to know if you would like to have dinner in my quarters tonight? It's been a while since we have talked."

Henry glanced over to Emma. "Oh, yeah, but I mean I just said I would go to dinner with Emma." He rubbed at the back of his neck in that bashful way he had when he was torn and slightly embarrassed.

Regina looked over at Emma for a long second. "Swan can come too, if she would like," Regina said before she really thought about it, but unlike many things she had said without thought, she didn't regret it a second later.

Emma smiled. "Yeah, sure, your majesty, why not?"

Regina rolled her eyes at the nickname but said nothing about it. "Good, I'll call Granny and have someone bring something up for us then." She ran her hand through her hair and she looked at Henry. "I hope you don't mind."

"Mom, it's fine. We're sort of in the middle of a conflict right now, I wasn't really expecting you to cook."

Regina breathed out a sigh of relief. She really had raised an amazing boy, even with being away so often and for so long. "Good, come along then."

They made their way up to Regina's rooms as Regina relayed her instructions to Granny, who huffed, said it was about time she spent some time taking a break, and then ended the call. Regina laughed to herself quietly as she opened the door to her rooms and led the other two in, the lights flickering on around them.

"Anything I can get you two to drink? I have the regular assortment of things, water, tea, coffee, and I believe there's some sort of alcohol around here somewhere."

Henry sorted and looked over at Emma. "What she means is there's like a small winery in one of the cabinets, but if wine isn't your thing then there might be something else. Probably something Draconian. Mal always brings back something from her visits to the home world."

"Draconian whiskey?" Emma asked, cocking an eyebrow. "I didn't take you for someone who liked that much of a kick in their drinks, your majesty. For some reason I took you as the smooth sort of drink woman."

"Oh, did you now?" Regina walked to the cabinet, drew out the bottle of whiskey that she had, uncapped it, poured two fingers in a glass and downed it in one without batting an eye. She filled the glass again and sipped at the next dose. "Does that break that illusion?"

Emma looked impressed. "I believe it does. If I may, I'll have what the lady is having."

Regina nodded and looked at Henry. He shrugged. "I know better than to ask for that, but yeah, water."

"You are of legal age now," Regina said, considering.

"I was the last time, too, and yet you acted like I was going to kill someone."

Emma snorted. "I can see her reacting like that. Her _baby boy_ ," Emma said dramatically, clapping her hand over her chest.

Regina glared at her. "That wasn't—"

Henry cut her off. "Oh, come on, Mom, it totally was how you were."

Regina pulled out two more tumblers, filled them both with whiskey and handed them to Emma and Henry. "Now you can't say I reacted like some over dramatic idiot."

"This time," Henry mumbled under his breath and sipped and the drink, only clearing his throat a little before sitting back and sipping again. Regina's eyes narrowed. Usually people's first time drinking Draconian whiskey had them coughing up a lung. So this wasn't his first time. She filed that knowledge away for later.

A knock came on the door and Regina went to open it. She took the tray of their food from the solider who saluted as soon as his hands were free. She nodded and dismissed him, feeling the tiredness already pulling at her bones, even without having eaten, and the alcohol not making it any better. She set the tray down, handing Henry the large portion of what looked to be Xanithian stew while giving Emma their smaller portions. The tasteless nutrient gruel was finally gone, which Regina was glad to see. Maybe in the next week they would actually get up to regular portion sizes, but somehow Regina doubted it. Tamara probably would take it slow both to make sure they were completely fine and a little bit of punishment for their supposed stupidity.

They settled in to eat quietly for a few minutes and Regina enjoyed the company while eating. Emma had been joining her for all her meals, but it was different here in her own quarters. More intimate somehow, even with Henry joining them. Regina didn't want to think about that for too long, really, and so she forced her brain to move on to other things.

A second later Emma looked up at Henry with a smirk that quickly shifted into a faux-innocent look. "So, Henry, how's it going with Elysia? Have you managed to talk to her yet?"

Henry's eyes grew comically wide and Regina had to stop herself from laughing at the look. But then Emma's words hit her. Elysia. That was a girl's name. She shouldn't be surprised, but yet she still was. She hadn't heard much about girls all through high school and the academy. Regina figured that had to do with his focus to want to get into the academy and then succeed there, but now there weren't any of those things. Well, perhaps their impending deaths, but what was that to them in the Directive, really?

"Emma!" Henry screeched so loud his voice cracked for the first time in years.

Emma laughed. "Wow, kid, way to have literally no chill. You give yourself away like that. You could have just brushed it off, but no."

Henry glared at her, his expression every inch the one Regina used. Emma looked over at her. "He got that from you, obviously."

Regina disregarded the comment and looked at Henry. "Elysia? Mechanic or pilot?" It was a common enough name, after all. She would need to know specifics if she was to look the girl up and make sure she looked like a good match for Henry.

"Mom, no, I'm not telling you because then you'll do the whole overprotective mom thing. It's nothing. She just seems cool."

Emma laughed again, food on her plate forgotten for now. "Oh, that's totally not what you told me. 'Oh my god, Emma, do you know her? She's really hot.'"

Henry turned beet red. "Traitor." He threw his napkin at her as his own devious smile crossed his face. "And you agreed with me and said she was good looking, but not the type of woman you looked for."

This time it was Emma who turned red. She threw Henry's napkin back at him. "You little jackass. Things like that you aren't supposed to repeat."

"And you aren't supposed to mention girls in front of someone's mom either, but look where we are." He munched on a piece of bread and just stared at Emma, waiting for her to contradict him.

Emma sat back. "Fair. But you're still a jackass."

Henry shrugged. "I've been called worse."

And with that the two of them went back to eating as if nothing had happened at all. Regina, however, was still staring at the both of them wondering what in the world had just happened. Had Emma just confirmed that she was interested in women? Because that's what seemed to have happened, but Regina kept playing Henry's words over and over in her head to be sure. She wasn't sure why it mattered to her. Sexual preference didn't matter in the Directive and never had. So why…

She shook herself. "There are only so many Elysias on the ship, Henry."

Henry paled at that. "Mom, seriously, if it turns into anything other than me just looking at her from across the deck, I'll tell you, but until then maybe don't try to go all scary Captain Mills?"

"Scary Captain Mills, I like that almost as much as I like your majesty." Emma snickered.

Regina glared at her for a second before looking back to Henry. "Fine, fine, but you know I have my ways to know the second it gets serious."

"Yeah, yeah, scary spy ninja whatevers. I know."

They fell silent again, finishing up their dinners and cleaning up easily. But no one was really ready to leave and so after dinner was cleaned up they all migrated to the small living area in Regina's rooms and flopped down on the couches, all of them tired, but fighting it.

"So, Swan, how was today?" Regina asked, unable to keep away from work forever.

"Eh, good, productive. You got the numbers I sent up, right?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, they're looking good, but they will slow down greatly now, right?"

"Yeah, the next batch of fighters to get fixed are super wrecked. We'll have to almost cobble new ones together from scraps. It's possible, but a lot of work, even with as many people as we've got."

"Well, I know that you'll do your best. The men down there respect you greatly and practically sing your praises."

Emma shrugged as much as was possible in her slumped back position. "Treating people as humans usually gets them to like me. It's nothing special. They respect you a hell of a lot more."

"Because I am their Captain and they have to."

"Think that all you want, but it's not true. You get shit done."

Regina sighed heavily and sat forward, her elbows on her knees. Henry reached out and started to rub her back soothingly the same way she had done when he was little and upset.

"I can't seem to get shit done, as you say, in our eleventh hour. I still have no plan. These AI, with the resources we've got…they will be near impossible to beat. We don't have the right weapons. We're geared to fight biological opponents, not mechanical ones."

Henry sat up a little bit straighter at that. "But wait, maybe…" he trailed off.

"Maybe what?" Regina asked, looking up from the ground.

"Well, they're mechanical and therefore come with limitations that go along with that. In the academy when we were learning about supression techniques one of them was to drop an electromagnetic pulse bomb onto the planet. It would render all advanced weaponry useless for long enough for them to take over."

Regina blinked, remembering what Henry was talked about. It was an old tactic proven cruel in the course of being used. EMP bombs weren't discriminate in the tech they short circuited. Hospitals had fallen victim along with the resistance weapons. Family vehicles had fallen out of the sky along with fighters. No one dared to use them in space because somehow if the bomb went off too soon or if the ship strayed into the range of the bomb, it would mean all life line systems went offline and anyone inside would run out of air long before the systems could reboot. But for them in a do or die situation...well it just might be an option.

"If we made it powerful enough it wouldn't just short circuit them for a while, it would totally fry them," Emma said, catching on.

Henry nodded. "Exactly."

"But do we have the materials to make one?" Regina asked, fully sitting up. This plan had more promise than anything she had thought of before, but still it had holes.

Emma thought about it for a minute. "I mean, just from what I know, we could cobble something together pretty easily. I would have to talk to someone who knew more about weapons to be sure though."

Regina was double tapping her comm link before anyone could say anything else. "Commander De Vil."

"Yes, Captain? To what do I owe this honor."

"Drop whatever you're doing and report to my quarters there are things that we need to discuss."

"Well I dont think you really want me to truly drop what I'm working on, but I will gently set it down and report to your quarters." She laughed. "See you soon, darling."

Regina shook her head. She never did quite know what to make of that woman, but she was damned good at weapons and so she let it slide.

A few minutes later the Commander knocked on Regina's door and Regina let her in. The woman strode into the room, taking in Henry and Emma with a quick glance.

"So what is it we need to discuss?" She flicked her bicolored hair out of her eyes.

"Sit." Regina gestured to one of the other chairs in the room and took her seat again on the couch beside Henry.

Mander complied and cross her legs, looking at Regina expectantly.

"You know of EMP bombs?"

De Vil cocked an eyebrow. "Of course, what weapons expert doesn't? I didn't take you for someone who used such things though." An evil grin appeared on her face.

"Desperate times. Do you have the things you need to build one?"

The commander looked at Emma. "Do you have electronics to spare and parts of one of the new fighter engines? The old will do too, but the new would make a more effective charge."

Emma nodded. "Yeah plenty of spare parts to go around now that half the fleet is wrecked."

De Vil looked back to Regina. "Then it's possible. I'd need a couple days to get it ready and I need to know the approximate size as well. And you," she said to Emma. "You know the machine parts better than I do and can advise."

Emma nodded. "Can do."

Regina sat back, thinking. "Good. Begin as soon as possible. As for size..." She trailed off. How in the world was she supposed to estimate something like that?

Henry jumped in. "Well it has to be big enough to cover their mother ship size, and since we don't know what that is, we should just base it off a King class, right?"

Regina nodded. "Good idea."

"And it would probably be good to cover a little more area besides that to catch as many of them as possible," Emma added.

Then suddenly all of them were talking at once, planning coming easily now that there was a real concrete plan that actually would work.

By the time the commander left, with Henry right behind her, yawning and saying his goodnights, they had something like a plan. At least enough to know how big the bomb was. Regina wasn't sure how they were going to get it to where it was needed, but it was definitely a start.

Emma stayed behind and helped her put away the last of the glasses, which Regina was grateful for, even if it wasn't wholly necessary. She was tired and glad for the help no matter. Afterwards, she walked the other woman to the door.

"Thank you, Swan," Regina said smiling.

"Geesh, your majesty, when are you going to start calling me Emma? I mean most people usually are on a first name basis before they have dinner at the other person's place."

Regina looked at her for a long moment. Well, she supposed Emma did have a point. And perhaps inside her own private thoughts she called the woman Emma anyway, but she wasn't about to give it away that easily.

"You insist on calling me your majesty, so why shouldn't I call you Swan?"

"What if I only call you that because Swan is annoying?"

Irective, surely I can't be the only one."

"You aren't really, but usually it's people I dont know well. After all Officer does get repetitive after a while."

Regina sighed as ifnthebweigjt of the world was on her shoulders. "And if I agreed to call you Emma, at least outside of situations of command, then you would drop the stupid your majesty act?"

"Yup, totally."

"Fine then, Emma it is."

And the smile Emma gave her made something in Regina's stomach flutter in a way of hadn't since she met Daniel years before. She pushed down on the feeling though, not wanting to feel something like that, not now, not ever, not for this woman in front of her. But perhaps she didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Good. Night, Regina."

"Goodnight, Emma."

Emma smiled once more before opening the door and stepping into the hall. Regina watched the door closed behind her and sighed. What an inoppertune time for all of this. And for the lid of her she couldn't tell if she meant the sudden warm feelings for the other woman or the attack of the AI and she wasn't exactly sure what that meant.


	17. Chapter 17

A day and a half of peace was all they got. Regina sat on the bridge, watching as just the first of many blips popped up in their monitors. She took a deep breath. The bomb wasn't ready just yet. Almost, but the last report an hour ago said by days end.

"Red alert. Get everyone in their ships and out there. Arm the weapons and ready the sheild. Tell the engine room to be on their toes, god knows what we'll have to do maneuver-wise."

They still couldn't jump though, or Regina would just order it right then. Liuentant Commander Arenndale had done her best, but she needed parts before full repairs could be done. The nest they could do now was full speed and that would have to do.

She double tapped on her comm link. "Officer Swan."

"Captain?" Emma asked.

"Swan, how close are you to being done the bomb?"

"Cruella is wiring the trigger mechanism now, and I'm putting together the shielding, why?"

"Forget the shielding. We have incoming. How long before you can get it operational?"

"Shit, Cru how much time before you're done with that? They're coming."

Regina heard cursing kn the background for a long moment before something quieter was said.

"Twenty minutes for us to finish up and get it out there. But Regina without shielding we aren't going to be able to take it out on any kind of ship once it's armed. It wont be enough to mess with anything else until it explodes, but the ship its in would be too close in proximity. Hell, I dont even want to arm it until im outside the bay just in case."

And that was where they'd gotten stuck before even with the sheilding in place. How exactly were they going to deliver it? Anyone who volunteered, even if they flew as fast as they could, wouldn't be able to escape the bomb range before it was set off. They had to make sure the AI didn't have time to destroy it.

"Just get it done. We'll figure out a way to get it where it needs to be when we get there. Right now just hurry because god knows how long we can hold them off."

"Yes, captain." And with that Emma signed off.

Mal walked over to her, frown on her face as the dots kept right on multiplying before their eyes. "What's wrong?"

"The bomb isn't ready and it will have to go without shielding in order to have it done by the time they get here." Regina turned. "How many minutes until arrival?"

"Five," all of the science officers called out at once.

Regina frowned. "They need twenty to get it done. And because it doesn't have shielding it can't be taken out on a ship, the latent electromagnetic field would mess with anything that close to it."

Mal frowned. "And so how do we get it out there and in the right place?" She thought for a few seconds before turning to look at Regina again. "I can do it. Lily needs to be in a fighter in order to keep them at bay as long as possible. I'm the only one free to do it."

Regina's head whipped up so she was looking up at Mal. "No, we don't know what that bomb would do to you. And there's no way you'll be out of the blast range in time. With this, we don't know if it would harm you or not."

"What other choice do we have, Regina? If we can't get that bomb out there then we're dead anyway. You and I both would take a risk like this in order to save our crew and you know it. I can't let you be a stubborn idiot and get everyone else killed because you don't want to see me hurt."

Regina closed her eyes. She knew Mal was right. "Fine, go, but if you get your idiot self killed I reserve the right to find you in the afterlife and tell you just how big of an idiot you are."

Mal smiled, just the barest upturn of her lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Captain, the last of the ships just launched," someone said behind them.

Regina nodded. "Go, I can handle commanding a fire fight alone. They'll meet you down there with the bomb."

Mal reached out and squeezed Regina's shoulder. "If this screws up royally you better damn well make sure at least one of us survives to tell the story. I'm not going out for just a note on a Directive file. I've always said I would go out with a bang and I damn well meant it."

Before Regina could say anything about Mal surviving and therefore there not being a problem, Mal walked off the bridge.

"Thirty seconds until impact," someone called out.

Another deep breath. Regina closed her eyes for a fraction of a second and when she opened them all that mattered in the world were the screens right in front of her and decisions she would have to make. She reached up and clicked on her comm so it was broadcasting to the whole fleet of fighters and once more so she could hear the weapons crew on her ship as well.

"Ready your weapons," she said calmly. Emma and her crew had loaded every last thing they could onto their fighters. It made them heavier, slower, but Regina had been willing to sacrifice that considering she was under no illusion that anything less than their most lethal would save them. They would throw everything they had at them, or die trying.

"You must keep these AI at bay for the next fifteen minutes. That is a short eternity, I am aware. But spare no quarter, fire at will, and defend your ship. We'll damn well show them what it's like to mess with the Rocinate."

There were a few shouts of agreement and then the AI pack was on them. Regina felt the hum underneath her feet as the canons on the ship started to charge and fire one after another. Huge streaks of blue light crossed the black sky, hitting true, but as many as they hit, it didn't seem to matter. There were just so many of them.

Regina gripped the arms of her seat as the seconds started to tick slowly by. Outside it was pure chaos. Weapons fired, fighters flew in every which direction, orange colored the black void of space as things blew up. The chaos outside was mirrored by the voices screaming in her ear through the comm link. Team leaders were screaming, fighters were asking for backup, calling out warnings, anything to help keep them and their brethren alive. Regina watched and commanded as much as she possibly could.

Behind her the bridge was in almost the same state of chaos. She could hear the yelled orders, but she didn't pay attention. She trusted her crew to keep the ship how it needed to be as she focused on the battle.

Regina felt as the first shots hit them. The ship shook more than it would from the canons and then a second later sirens started to go off. She glanced away from the battlefield.

"Status report!" She shouted. God above she hoped the damage wasn't too much. They needed to keep their guns online for as long as possible to help out the fighters. She looked down at the time. Fourteen minutes left until the bomb would be ready. She swallowed hard.

"We've taken damage to the starboard side of the 17th sector," someone called out, Regina didn't bother to look at who it was."The bulkheads are closed and everything seems to be stable."

The 17th sector was all personnel quarters. "Was anyone in their bunk?"

"No, Captain, all hands were on deck elsewhere."

"Good, then block off that sector and keep that part of the ship out of the line of fire as much as possible."

"Yes, Captain."

The ship tilted away just slightly and Regina's attention shifted back to the battle. She took in a sharp breath as the first of her ships blew up in a bright-hot plume of fire. They still had thirteen minutes to go.

And then another, and another, all in rapid succession. She gripped her chair hard enough to turn her fingers white, listening to the leaders call out for the dead, hearing some of their voices crack before clearing up and issuing orders once more. How many had they lost in these last few weeks?

Regina swallowed hard as their mother ship came into view. It was huge, King class easily, perhaps gmbigger. She watched it float slowly through space, carrying an air of menace. Regina was infinitely glad they had made the area of the bomb bigger in the end because that was the only way that they were going to take out such a large ship, let alone anything else.

She saw the telltale glow of canons charging on the mother ship. They couldn't let them fire either at their ship or at their fighters.

"Commander De Vil, fire at their canons. Do not let them fire. I don't care what you have to do."

"My pleasure, darling." And with that the other woman started to yell out orders, sharp and barking as the ship started to rumble even more beneath them.

Twelve minutes. The ship actually pushed a little backwards as multiple shots fired from their canons. The light was blinding for half a second and Regina blinked her eyes closed. When she opened them again the canon shots were being absorbed into the mothership's shield. Fuck. Of course they were keeping up the shields until they were ready to fire.

"How much damage was done?" Regina yelled out.

"Our readings show they're at seventy-five percent."

All of that. And they had only managed to do twenty-five percent of damage. She bit her lip hard enough to drawl blood as the ship charged up to fire once more. It was a race to see who could succeed first.

"How long until another round?"

"Thirty seconds," Commander De Vil shouted before cursing out everyone who worked for her.

"How long until they're charged."

"Thirty seconds, at the most by the looks of it," Blue said looking out the viewscreen with a frown on her face.

Regina tried to think quickly. What could they do? If whatever their weapons were hit them, then they were probably not long for this world. Their shields wouldn't be strong enough to hold out for more than one blow, if they managed to hold at all.

"Twenty seconds," Blue said.

She looked outside to the fight still raging. They couldn't waste any ships to be taken out by the blast to buy them some time. What in the world was she expected to do in a situation like this? Her training hadn't exactly covered battles with AI and her half-sister in the curriculum. But she was Regina Mills and she did not give up easily.

"Ten seconds."

"Keep to the same protocol. Aim at their canons. Modulate the frequency if at all possible to cancel their blasts. As soon as the shots are fired raise the shields. Brace for impact," Regina barked out her orders as the last seconds slipped from them.

The canons on both ships fired at the same time. It seemed like a short eternity until they met in the middle of space, far above the battle going on below. The beams flashed once before fizzling out.

Regina slumped in her seat. Thank god that that had worked. It had only been a theory. A theory that she had banked all of their lives on. That was what this conflict was bringing her to.

Eleven minutes.

Outside the canons on the mother ship started to charge again. They wouldn't aim the same place twice, not if they didn't want the Rocinante to have a clear shot at cancelling out their beams again.

"Find out where they are aiming and aim our canons accordingly. Keep watch on them. If they have figured out that we're on to them they will redirect their shots."

She wondered how long they could keep this up. At some point they would run out of ammo. And it would be them who ran out of ammo first. The mothership had had time to restock themselves while Regina and her crew had been sitting in the middle of space scrambling to do get anything in fighting shape. They had had no time to worry about ammo. She wondered if that was going to come back to bite them.

Another shot went off and everyone held their breath, waiting to see if they would live or not. A flare and then everything was dim again and they were still breathing. Then the cycle started again.

Ten minutes.

"Swan, for the love of god, your hands had better have sparks flying off of them," Regina said into her comm link.

"Don't worry, any faster and I think they would fall off," Emma said immediately.

"Darling, it is literally rocket science here. We rush as much as we can, you know this."

Cruella De Vil was not the person who she wanted to hear right now, even if she was working on the project that could save all of their lives. But then Emma was speaking again and Regina forgot all about the other woman.

"Well, I mean, it's more complicated physics and mechanical engineering than rocket science." Emma grunted once before letting out a breath. "That's all there was to do on my part."

"Semantics in this case, darling," De Vil said. "I need another minute more. Do me a favor and connect the grounding wires."

"Any way that you will get out here quicker than that fifteen minutes you said?" Regina hoped for just a second even though she knew she shouldn't.

"No, the rest of the time will be needed to get it down to the bay," Emma said. "Sorry to disappoint you."

The ship rocked again as another blast went off. Nine minutes.

Regina looked out at the battlefield again. There were pieces of debris floating around now. The number of ships was less. She wondered how many of her men were dead now. She hadn't kept track in her desperation to solve the problem of the ships canons. She didn't want to know now. She was sure she would find out eventually. And if she didn't…well there would only be one reason why, and then it wouldn't exactly matter.

She watched as the newly refitted ships flew around, unimpeded from tech hacks from the AI. She was glad their tests had worked in simulating the attacks they might face. The ships were awkward, but there were so many of them that she was grateful for them nonetheless. She was sure her men were as well, flying around out there with explosions going off around them, sweating, and hoping then would live to the next minute.

Another shot. Another fizzle. Another minute gone.

"Done!" Emma shouted. "We're running down now, but these hover carriers can only go so fast."

Regina nodded even though Emma couldn't see her. "Good, Commander Dracon is waiting for you down there. She will take the bomb out to where you say it should go. Then your job is done, Swan. Commander De Vil, after you deliver the bomb I need you back at your post. I need to know when we are going to run out of ammo and I need that information as soon as possible."

"Yes, Captain," De Vil said.

"Captain, can Commander Dracon actually detonate the bomb in dragon form?" Emma asked.

"I'm sure she will find a way. She's very crafty."

"Ok, fine, she can probably detonate the thing," Emma's breath was starting to come a bit harder. She really was running all out. "But we still have to arm it and we can't do that in the ship, or even really super near the ship just in case, remember? The Commander won't be able to do that. Not only would she be in dragon form, but she doesn't actually know how to do it. I have to go with her."

Regina's heart stopped. Mal had already accepted the risk of death. She and Regina had talked about it before, that they would probably be parted in some blaze of glory. She had come to terms with that long ago. But Emma had just survived a near brush with death. A brush with death that Regina had helped her through. She wasn't ready for Emma to go. She hadn't had time to adjust to that reality, even as their death at the hands of the AI was at the back of everyone's mind. Somehow, somewhere along the line she had resolved to do her best to protect Emma Swan. And doing her best to protect Emma Swan meant that there was no way that she could let the other woman out into the battle.

Another shot went off. They were still alive. Seven minutes.

"No, Emma, tell Mal what she needs to do. She's smart. I'm sure she will be able to do whatever is needed of her."

"Regina! No, she won't. Hell, I'm a fucking mechanic and I barely know what I'm doing. What makes you think that the executive officer of a ship would know what she's doing or could be told what to do in like thirty seconds, because let's be real, that's about all we have to get out there. Don't think I don't hear how fucking creamed we're getting out there."

"Emma, you're to do as I say. That is an order."

Emma made a disgusted noise. "Whatever you say, _Captain_ ," she sneered the last word like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Captain," Blue said. "They aren't charging their canons for the next shot."

Regina focused back on what was happening in front of her. So they had grown sick of the game of trying to out fire one another. What in the world would they try next? The hair on the back of Regina's neck rose as she waited.

"Keep all our scanners on them. I want to know as soon as one of them breathes wrong." She kept staring, kept waiting for any sign of what their next move was. They had to have more up their sleeves. Zelena would never allow them not to and she didn't think the AI were exactly one trick ponies either.

Seconds ticked by, the air tense in the bridge. The chatter was subdued even as everyone on board tried to help the fighters below. This was the worst part of a battle, the waiting until the next move. You could counter what you could see, but the waiting between tactics, it was what drove people mad, even if it was just a few seconds wait. Those few seconds lasted a small eternity each and every time. Regina would never get used to it, she knew. She may not have to.

Another minute ticked away in the tense almost silence. Six minutes.

Emma's heavy breathing came over the comm link. Regina wasn't sure how she knew it was the other woman, but she did. It was a comfort even as she watched and waited as everyone else on her bridge did. She supposed that the only perk of this wait was that they weren't wasting anymore ammo.

A bright flare of a ship exploding drew Regina's eyes. It had to be one of theirs. She swallowed hard, but didn't allow herself to stare for more than a second before her eyes were flicking back up to the mother ship.

And a second was all it had taken them to fire off their next weapon.

"Incoming!" was shouted.

Regina acted quickly. "Someone fire something to take it out." She wasn't even sure what it was. It looked like a missile, but Regina was sure that it wasn't everything that it seemed. She didn't want to find out exactly what it was, either. A blast rocketed out from their ship towards the missile and looked to be exactly on course to hit it. Until the thing moved.

Oh. So that was what was so special about it. The thing could avoid shots meant to take it out. What a logical next step for them to take. Regina would have almost clapped at the good thinking, if it hadn't been something to bring about her own doom.

"Raise the shields!" Regina yelled, watching as the thing came closer and hoping that somehow the shields would raise before it got within range.

The blue sheen of the shield raised in front of them just before the missile hit. It exploded violently, knocking the ship back a little. Regina swallowed. That wasn't a hit they would be taking more than once, not with the shields intact. What was it with these damned robots and having weapons that were more powerful than the average? It almost wasn't fair.

But then again, the first thing she had learned in the academy had been that all was fair in war and that applied now more than ever.

"Shield is at forty percent, Captain."

"Are the canons charged?" Regina asked.

"Yes," came through the comm link immediately.

"Lower the shields and fire at will."

Another missile fired from the mothership just as Regina issued the command. The floor hummed underneath them. The shield dropped and the shot fired. The next second the shield was back in place as they watched the last shot they could defend themselves against fly towards them.

Regina glanced down at the time. Two minutes had passed in her own personal hell. Four minutes until the EMP bomb as out in space. And even with only that short a time left, she wasn't sure they were going to make it.

She watched as their shots hit dead on the mothership. They hadn't been able to raise their shield in time after firing their missile. Regina let out a breath. Finally they had caught at least some of a break. She wondered if it would affect their firing time. Probably not. That would mean that they had had some sort of luck in the world. And right now, Regina highly doubted that any of them did.

Another door opened on the mothership and Regina closed her eyes. Here was their destruction come to rain upon them.

"Charge the canons again, fire them one at a time. Try to hit that damn thing, I don't care what it takes. We aren't going to let it hit us without a fight."

The missile flew closer and closer as the canons charged. Cold sweat had seeped through Regina's uniform. To play chicken with death once in a day was enough, but this was so many more times. The Directive had trained her to stay strong no matter what, but this was even above and beyond that, she thought. Every breath brought her closer to death and perhaps if she was lucky that death threat would be eliminated. But then it started all over again. How many times could a body go through a stress and then relief cycle before it gave out?

The canons fired one at a time as she had instructed, with little time between them. Regina thought that at least one of them should hit the damn thing firing like that, but the missile managed to dodge every single one of them. The thing crept closer and closer. Regina swore she could see a pale horse riding below the missile, carrying death towards them. But that was probably just the stress of the battle playing tricks on her because she blinked and the image was gone.

It was too close in a few seconds. The canons couldn't fire anymore without hitting some part of the ship at large. Regina closed her eyes. And so this was how she died. She had always wondered.

A gasp rose up from the bridge crew and Regina's eyes snapped open. A ship had broken off from the fight below. It flew up and into the line of the missile, flying towards it quickly. The pilot couldn't be doing what she thought they were doing. Surely they were just trying to lure the missile back away from the ship again so the canons could get a clear shot. Surely they would use their own ammo to blow the missile if her first thought wasn't the plan they were sticking to. There was no way.

And then there were. The blast pushed the ship back again and Regina had no doubt that if the missile had hit them instead of the small fighter ship, they would have died. Instead on soldier had taken it upon themselves to save the rest of them. That should have been Regina's job. She should have come up with something.

But she knew she had done what she could. She couldn't let the guilt get to her now in the middle of the battle. She took a deep breath and looked back down at the battle.

"Find me the name of whoever was in that ship," she said quietly. If they lived the solider would get a medal. It was small consolation for the family, but it was all she could do.

"Yes, Captain," a chorus of voices said.

Three minutes.

"Do we have anything at all that could lock on to those missiles and take them out?" Regina asked.

Commander De Vil was truly panting as she answered. "We do, but its systems would be taken over by the AI."

Of course that was how it had to be. Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. There was no way they had time to modify something so the AI couldn't use it against them. Any second now another hatch would open and another missile would come flying at them. Think, she had to think. That was the only thing that was going to get them out of this.

"What about one of the lasers? If a weapons specialist aimed and fired manually and swung around in broad arcs, they would have to get lucky at some point, wouldn't they?" Regina asked, though she wasn't sure who she was asking, really.

"Worth a shot," Mal said, still in human form. Regina was surprised. Usually she changed slowly when she had the chance to avoid the discomfort of a quick change.

"Roger that, Captain, two soldiers are manning the lasers now. Ready to fire on your command."

Regina looked out into space again. The mothership wasn't moving visibly, but Regina had now doubt that something was going on inside. From the long pause she thought that they had to be switching tactics again. She didn't know why they didn't just use both tactics they had previously at once. She was glad they either hadn't thought of that, or couldn't, but still she wondered. Perhaps that was their final strategy? What in the world would they do then?

Another hatch opened and two missiles flew out. Well that was definitely new, and much more aggressive. She swallowed.

"Fire at will," she said, her voice still not shaking, though the rest of her wanted to so badly she could taste the metallic taste of fear in her mouth.

Lasers shot out, cutting the darkness rapidly, moving every which way. Regina held her breath now, watching, waiting, hoping that one of them hit. But whatever avoidance technology that the AI had fit the damn things with was good. There were many close calls, but no hits. Regina looked to the sky above her and prayed. She had nothing to promise, nothing to bargain with, she only had a request and the hope that it would be granted.

It was enough. One laser finally managed to hit one of the missiles and the resulting explosion took the other one with it. Regina thanked whoever out there in the world had made that possible, even if it was no one at all, at that moment it didn't matter at all. They were alive for another thirty seconds or so. That trumped any internal debate over whether there was someone out there listening or not.

Collectively the rest of the bridge held their breath once more as the seconds passed by again, waiting to see if another missile would pop out of some neat compartment on the mothership. Maybe that one ancient poem back from the original homeworld had been right, maybe eternity had been contained in an hour, with the minutes being eons, and the seconds entire eras. She could believe it now as she waited.

Two minutes. They were so close, and yet she felt so far away.

Nothing. And more nothing. And more nothing. Regina had never faced a battle like this where once it was started it stopped.

"Fire the canons when ready." If they weren't going to take a shot, she was. There was a hum then the requisite flash of light and the canons were fired. She saw the sheen of the mothership's shield going up. She frowned, but it was really to be expected. The beams hit and were absorbed.

"Shields at fifty percent," someone said a second later.

Well, it was something, Regina supposed. "Recharge the canons. If in ten seconds they do nothing, fire them again."

The orders were executed just as she asked. But Regina couldn't figure out for the life of her why the AI weren't firing back again. What were they doing? The missiles had been bad enough with the wait, but what in the world could this be? Was it something worse that needed time to charge up, was it nothing at all? Were they just trying to psych them out? She couldn't say it wasn't working at least the slightest bit. But why in the world would a group of robots try to play mind games? Unless it was Zelena at the helm right now.

"Does anyone have any sort of reading that would tell us what the hell they're up to?" Regina demanded.

"We're scanning, Captain, but there's nothing that our scanners can pick up."

Regina huffed out a breath, but didn't bother to turn around and berate the person who had addressed her. It wasn't their fault that their technology either wasn't advanced enough to detect what was going on, or that there was nothing going on at all. Regina just wished she could reach across the void and choke the life out of Zelena and have this all be over. Unfortunately they hadn't invented a technology at headquarters that would allow her to do that. A shame really.

Another minute gone. Only sixty seconds to go.

"Captain, movement detected," someone said.

"What's going on?" Regina looked out the view screen, but saw nothing.

"Something around the rear of the ship."

"Display it."

Half of the view screen was covered in a picture half a second later. Regina gasped. She'd only heard rumors of such technology. She had thought that it was just a rumor, but apparently not. If she had to bet the Directive had sent that weapon out with AI to test and they had taken it with them.

"Captain, what is that?" Blue asked, stepping forward and squinting.

"A large scale weaponized atomizer."

"Wait, I thought that it wasn't possible. If it was too big it would just deconstruct itself, right?"

Regina looked out at it. "I thought so too, but I believe both of us are wrong, Lieutenant, because that is what that is. How long would it take something like that to charge?"

"Fifteen minutes, probably more," Lieutenant Fa said from her position at the helm.

And so that's what they were waiting for. Everything else had been a distraction. This had been their plan from the get go.

"Swan, for the love of god and everything else we hold dear, get that thing into space, now!"

"Already there, Captain," Emma said.

Regina scowled. The connection sounded odd, like it was reverberating around a helmet, but that didn't make any sense. Emma shouldn't be in a helmet. She should be down on the flight deck teaching Mal how to use the bomb.

Except Mal was flying in front of the view screen. She waved her huge talonned paw and winked before turning and flying towards the mothership. Regina had to swallow back a cry at what she saw on Mal's back. There was a tiny figure in a space suit perched there beside what had to be the bomb.

And she had no doubt that it was Emma Swan.


	18. Chapter 18

"Emma Swan! You defied my direct orders!" She shouted into her comm link like it would change the fact that Emma was flying towards the mothership on the back of the dragon right beside a bomb.

"Yeah, sorry about that Captain, but time was of the essence and I'm the best bet we have of this working. You and I both know it."

No. She didn't rescue that idiot to have her throw her life away like this. She wanted to rush out and pull her off, but she knew she couldn't. She had to stay, had to be a responsible Captain. Regina closed her eyes. She had to make the most of this gesture of Emma's. Because if Emma died doing this, then she wasn't about to waste it. They would survive damn it. Even if it was at a high cost that she did not want to pay.

Regina's heart hurt in her chest. She hadn't felt this way since Daniel's death, but there was no time to think on that thought. There were things to do to prepare. She continued to watch as Mal flew forward.

"Fire up the engines. We are going to need to go backwards quickly in a minute. The fighters will need to retreat as well on my word. Emma, you give us the word when you're about to pull the trigger."

"Of course, your majesty, I wouldn't dream of anything else."

"I thought we agreed to drop that?"

Emma laughed, but it was strained. "One last time for old's sake."

"Come back from this and you can call me whatever you damn well please."

"Well, that's some good incentive. I could call you muffin cake."

Regina winced at that, but said nothing. She didn't even care that she was having this conversation with all of her crew listening to her. Whatever got Emma to come back to the ship alive was worth it.

"Two minutes until we'll be in position. Give me another two after that to rig everything and set it off. Keep us clear until then?"

Regina looked around Mal and Emma. There were no ships. Obviously the AI didn't think that whatever they were doing was worth the effort, not when their ultimate weapon was almost ready.

"Emma, I don't know if you have two minutes, let alone four. Tell Mal to sprint and start getting it ready now. You heard about the atomizer, yes?"

"No, I was sort of getting used to riding a dragon, probably. It's not an everyday experience. But are you being serious?"

Regina could hear the slight worry in Emma's voice. "Dead serious."

"Go faster!" Emma screamed.

Regina didn't know how Mal heard her in the void of space, perhaps Emma also pounded on Mal's side, but she did go faster.

"Start retreating now. The blast area should still be clear of you guys but god knows with this jerry-rigged thing." Emma already sounded concentrated, hard at work at once.

"You heard her, start to back away. Fighters hold for a few more seconds then chase after us." The smaller ships started to move a hell of a lot faster than they could. They could start later. She wanted the AI to realized what was going on as soon as possible.

"ETA on when you'll be in position and ready?" Regina asked.

"A minute," Emma said shortly, a small grunt at the end of her words.

Regina kept her eyes out, making sure none of the AI fighters were turning just yet. Emma might not survive the EMP blast, but she sure as hell wouldn't survive a shot from one of those things. Mal wouldn't be in great shape either, really. If more than one fired, then even her friend would be a goner. She couldn't let that happen.

But also at the same time, if they were going to take out the most AI as possible, then the AI fighters needed to be lured away from her group of fighters and towards Emma and Mal. And if that was true, then the timing mattered, but how did you even get timing like that right? If she got it off by one second then it would be catastrophic.

"Thirty seconds," Emma said.

They were moving backwards now, slowly but surely. She counted in her head to ten then did it again. "Fighters, fly home."

As one her fleet of ships turned and flew back towards the Rocinante. The AI chased them for a few more seconds, but then as one stopped. Regina watched as the atomizer swung around front, fully charged. She swallowed as she literally stared death in the face. The AI fighters started to fly back to their mothership after a second.

Regina pulled in a breath, hoping and praying that Emma managed to pull the trigger first. Five seconds. She heard someone behind her pulling in a shuddering breath. Four seconds. Her fingernails finally went through the fabric on the arms of her chair. Three seconds. Someone started to pray under their breath on the comm link. Two seconds. The flight doors opened on the flight deck to start letting the fighters back in. One second. Regina breathed out.

And then the EMP bomb went off. Regina could trace the wave of electromagnetism as it slammed through space. She crossed her fingers as the wave reached the mothership. For one terrifying second the lights stayed on, and Regina worried that they had failed. Before, finally, everything blinked off at once. The atomizer lost power and Regina thanked all of the gods she could think of.

The AI fighters were hit and started to catch fire one by one as their circuits fried. Only a few at the periphery seemed to escape that fate. They flew around for a few seconds confused, but flew off to parts of space unknown, afraid for their continued existence, perhaps, or maybe just confused now the mothership was no more.

Regina continued to watch as the mothership caught fire as well and then in short order, exploded, sending a shock wave out to push their ship back even more. It was over, at least for now. She had a feeling they hadn't quite wiped the AI off the face of the planet, and from some reason she felt the same way about her sister, but those things she could address at a later date. For right now, she felt so much more about Emma Swan and Mal that it was blocking almost any other thought out.

"Get all of the fighters in. Then set a course for the nearest planet that can refuel us, if that planet also has the capability to repair the ship as well to whatever extent, then that would be even better," Regina said, voice flat, still staring out at the fragments of what had been the mothership. There was no way that Mal and Emma could have survived that blast from so close, if they had even survived the original EMP blast. They were truly gone.

She wanted to hand off the command to someone else, but she wouldn't, couldn't do that. She didn't trust anyone enough to take care of all the after battle preparations. Mal could have handled it, but Mal was one of the reasons why she needed to take a bit of time off. She needed time to process, but that would come later, as it always seemed to during a Directive career. It couldn't be truly healthy, but it was how it was.

Regina listened as everyone was loaded back on board and then she clicked off her comm link. That was the end of the battle then, truly. They had survived. Days, weeks, of thinking that they were doomed, and somehow they had pulled it off, even it was by the skin of their teeth. A humorless, almost insane laugh bubbled up out of Regina for a few seconds before she clamped down on it. Surely there was no one else in the Directive who had pulled of something of this magnitude. There was no way. It wasn't every day, or even every millennium that an officer had to face an entire race of AI in a life or death battle and come out of the other side the winner. She wondered what meaningless medal they would give her for it. There were so many other things she would like instead of a medal. But a medal was possible, and what she wanted was not.

"All fighters are loaded, Captain. Setting a course now," Lieutenant Fa said.

Regina nodded and said nothing else. She could become her normal Captain self in just a few minutes. For now, she could allow herself just a moment to process. She heard the bearings called out. The sound of holo-buttons being hit filled the deck and a minute later the ship started to move at a good clip.

"The journey will take the better part of two days. The closest planet that had the capability to repair our ship and refuel us was Rexicor Fal."

"As long as we get there, that it all that matters," Regina said, finally pulling herself out of her head. After she went off shift tonight she could deal with this more. "You did cross reference what needed done with Lieutenant Commander Arenndale, yes?"

Fa nodded. "Of course, she was the one that told us that Rexicor Fal would be the closet planet with the parts needed. We double checked our database of course once she specified what would be needed, but she was right."

"Good, good." She looked at the rest of the crew on the bridge. "I want damage reports, confirmation of who died during the battle, and inventory of ammo and other supplies as soon as possible. No point in stopping off at a planet for fuel and repairs without knowing what else we should acquire while we're there."

Everyone nodded and went about following Regina's orders. She sat back in her chair, looking at the punctures her nails had left in the fabric. Her fingertips were sore now, but it didn't matter to her, not really. She shook herself and instead thought of all the things that would need to be done in the next few hours. Reports would have to be written by all involved. The injured would have to be attended to. She would have to send down others to help out the med bay if too many had been hurt. Repairs would have to start again on their fighters. She would have to put in an order for new ones when the numbers of truly unrepairable machines was figured out.

Regina wondered who was her best mechanic now that Emma was gone. She wondered if they would be anywhere near as competent as Emma. She knew who was next in line to be her executive officer. She should call Commander Midas to take her rightful place, but not just yet. She could handle everything herself for right now. A second in command wasn't needed to take some of her burden.

She massaged her temples as she pulled her data pad towards her. She might as well get a start on her report while everything was still fresh in her mind. Her fingers flew over the keys quickly for the first part of the battle. It was easy to describe, their countermeasures had been exactly as they should, their decision to use an EMP bomb inspired. But then she got to the part where Mal and Emma disobeyed her orders and flew out together. And there her fingers slowed. Typing the events that had led up to Emma being killed…she couldn't do it. Not yet, perhaps not ever.

She put aside her data pad and looked up once more. Stars were whipping past the view screen at a good pace. For the first time in days she didn't feel as if she was about to die. She didn't know how she felt about that. The fear of death had almost become her constant friend. She knew it was wrong, but she was a bit adrift in how to operate without that sense of doom hanging over her head. Regina knew she would come back to rights eventually. It had only been a few hours. She would be fine. Though perhaps a few visits with the on board psychologist wouldn't be remiss either. There was more that she could talk about other than the fact that she wasn't sure how to work without death hanging on her shoulder, much more important things, really. But how in the world would she explain why Emma's death affected her so much?

She ran her hands through her hair. Did it really matter how she described it? All that really mattered was how she felt. The gnawing in the pit of her stomach, the fact that her brain felt like it was filled with cotton and she had to force herself to focus, that her heart felt like it was struggling to beat. Once a psychologist heard those things, well it wouldn't matter why would it? Or maybe it would matter more.

This was why she hadn't gone into psychology, not that her mother would have let her. She didn't know these things, what was healthy and what wasn't, but she also didn't want to, really. But a Captain had to function at peak performance and so she would go and talk everything over, even if she didn't want all the answers.

She was drawn out of her head again by an officer coming up to her with something for her approval. From there it was an almost endless chain of decisions that she had to make, orders that she had to give, blessed distractions for her. This was what she knew how to deal with. She had been doing this for years. She could throw herself into work.

But that was what she had done when Daniel had died. The thought stopped her dead in the middle of the deck. Emma's death was affecting her like Daniel's. Yes, Mal was also part of it, she couldn't lie to herself about that, but the majority of it really was Emma. When exactly had she stopped thinking of her as an annoyance and as…well, what she didn't know, but something else, something more. And this wasn't the time or place to deal with that information, but she was going to anyway.

What did she feel for Emma Swan? Or perhaps more accurately now, what had she felt for Emma Swan. That switch to past tense hurt more than words could say. It had taken her a very long time to switch when Daniel had died. Did practice make it easier. Would she be as affected with Emma, would people look at her with pity months later because she still couldn't add –ed to the end of a word? Maybe, maybe not.

"Captain, the people on the flight deck are having a hard time with Commander Dracon. She's still in dragon form, and no one, not even her daughter can get her to shift back. Lieutenant Dracon is asking for you. She says you're the only other one who could get her to shift. She needs to be taken to the med bay stat. She's severely injured, but obviously she can't go in her current form."

Regina turned towards the officer. Ensign Belle French stared back at her with wide blue eyes, waiting for her Captain's input on what she'd just said. She couldn't have heard the woman right. She had seen the explosion. There was no way that Mal had survived that. She had to be hallucinating what she wanted to happen.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked after a second.

French scowled for just a second before her face became a careful mask. "Commander Dracon is injured on the flight deck and refuses to shift back to receive medical attention."

Regina blinked. "Did anyone else come back with her?"

French nodded. "Yes, Emma Swan is already in the med bay. They rushed her off. Commander Johnson said her prognosis was fifty-fifty at best."

"Ensign, I'm going to need you to tell me that you are being completely honest with me right now. Because I saw the explosion, both of them, and I don't quite understand how you could be right in saying that Commander Dracon is on the flight deck."

French shook her head. "No one knows how they survived. It wasn't as if they were in the shape to be asked, Captain."

There was only one real way to see if this was all true. Regina turned and looked at Lieutenant Blue.

"Lieutenant, I'm leaving you in charge of the bridge while I take care of this."

Blue nodded. "Understood, Captain."

Regina walked off without another word to French. If she found out that the woman was lying to her, there would be hell to pay. She couldn't get her hopes up. That would be devastating. But she already was, she could feel the first slivers of hope growing within her. She was helpless to stop it. She had been like this since she was a girl even with her mother's dark dominion looming over her. And if her ability to hope had survived that, she was sure it would survive a great deal more than she could ever take.

She picked up speed until she was running towards the deck, then sprinting. Regina could feel the breath rushing into and out of her lungs, burning just a slight bit even with all of her training and fitness regimens that the Directive provided. She didn't care. It didn't hurt nearly enough for her to stop.

She burst onto the deck and there was Mal as promise, huge and awesome, in her dragon form. Regina had always wondered just how they were able to transform into such large creatures when the form they spent most of their time in was human sized. No one had quite figured it out scientifically yet, even with all their advances, and the Draconians didn't seem to be interested in helping. It was just a fact of life to them.

Regina ran forward towards Mal, seeing the blood now, bright purple oozing between Mal's scales in great amounts. There was just so much of it. She could see now what French had meant by Mal being in a bad way. She had to get her friend to transform back so they could get her in one of the tanks right away. God, she hoped that they still had liquid for the damn things. Perhaps that was why Tamara had given Emma a fifty-fifty chance. If they didn't have liquid then it would be a great deal harder to patch her up.

But she still had a mission to do right now. She couldn't worry about Emma. It was enough for the moment that she was actually alive. Mal needed her now. She could do this, she could get her to change back. She had known the other woman for twenty years. They had gone through so much together. It worried her some that Lily couldn't get her mother to change back, but she put that to the back of her mind. She could do it. She would do it.

She reached Mal's side and ran up to her head, lying on the deck, eyes barely open. Lily was standing beside her mother pleading for her to change back, clearly holding back tears. She looked up at Regina's approach and relief crossed her face.

"Help her," she said simply, hand stroking across the scales of her mother's muzzle.

Regina knelt down and stared into one of Mal's eyes. "You said goodbye to me, but now you're back on the damn ship, Mal. Your goodbye doesn't count now. Dying in an explosion is totally different than dying on the flight deck because you're too stubborn to shift back so they can treat you." She arched a haughty eyebrow. "Or are you just afraid of the flight crew seeing you naked?"

Mal's bright red eye narrowed, but her form didn't shiver and shake like she was about to shift.

"It is that, isn't it? You've secretly let yourself go."

That got a roll of Mal's eyes but nothing more.

Regina gritted her teeth. Ok, so that line wasn't working, annoying her wasn't the answer. She thought quickly for a new strategy.

"I could just command you to transform. Though I think we both know how successful my commands are when you're being difficult. You're the only one who can get away with such blatant acts of disrespect and we both know it."

Mal blinked, but there was still nothing on the transformation front.

"Mal, please," Regina finally said, voice breaking. "I thought you were dead. I saw the mothership explode and I knew you were gone. I didn't believe them when they told me that you were down here on the deck. I can't lose you now that you're back on the ship." She reached out and stroked Mal's huge head, avoiding the worst of the spikes and tracing the outlines of the scales. "Please. I can't lose my best friend."

And finally Mal shuddered and her form started to decrease in size. Regina let out a relieved breath. Thank god. Mal was back in her human form in a second and the medics were rushing towards her, pushing Regina and Lily out of the way and stabilizing Mal before running off with her towards the med bay.

Regina stared after them for a long minute. Lily laid her hand on Regina's arm as the deck resumed its normal activity. She turned towards the younger woman, swallowing.

"Thank you," Lily said quietly. "I don't know what the hell she was thinking, but thank you for helping her see she was being an idiot."

"Of course." Regina's arm snaked up and drew Lily into a side hug. She had watched the girl grow up through pictures that Mal had carried around like trophies worth their weight in gold. She had been her superior officer on more missions than not since Lily had graduated the academy. If there was anyone besides Henry that felt like her child it was Lily. And so that simple, almost awkward hug was enough to steady her just enough. "I would do it again in a heartbeat." She shot the younger woman a wan smile. "We both know just how stubborn your mother can be. She's lucky she had me and you to keep her head out of her ass."

Lily laughed once before pulling out of Regina's grip. "Yeah, she is." She rubbed and the back of her neck and looked away. "There's no point of going down to the med bay now, right? They'll call me down when they have her stabilized and everything?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, they will. Tamara is very good about letting family and know the patient's prognosis, but she likes her space to work. After a battle like that she's going to be very, very busy and probably crankier than usual about her space issues."

The other woman let out a shaky breath. "Ok. Ok. Um, I'm just going to go…I don't know, do something distracting while I wait."

"Go, I'll see you down there later I'm sure."

Lily inclined her head before turning and walking off.

And despite the advice that she had just given Lily she wanted to rush down to the med bay and see if everything was truly going to be ok, both for Emma and for Mal. Mal had looked bad sitting on the deck, but Regina wasn't quite as worried as she should be. Mal was stubborn, too stubborn sometimes, but Regina had a feeling that was a good thing in a fight to live. She thought that Mal would pull through no matter what really. They certainly hadn't faced anything worse than what they just had, and so she couldn't use that particular platitude to explain her surety that Mal would be fine, if after a time, but perhaps it was just how well she knew the other woman.

But Emma. Emma she hadn't seen before she was whisked away from the deck. She had no idea the shape the woman was in. She had just barely recovered from the canyon incident. Another set of serious injuries so soon after a near death experience, well, Regina couldn't think that it would do her any favors with the odds of survival. And that not knowing, that was what was driving Regina to go down to the med bay and see for herself. But all that would get her was thrown out on her ass by Tamara and it would take her best doctor away from Emma or Mal when they needed her most. That would be stupid and selfish and she couldn't let herself do that.

And so she turned and walked from the deck back towards the bridge. Everything that still needed to be done would distract her enough to keep her urges in check, but she had no doubt that the urge would still sit at the back of her mind for the many hours ahead of her.


	19. Chapter 19

A day went by. Tamara had only called her on the comm link to let her know that Emma and Mal were stable and then moved on to other business, informing Regina of the great many things that the med bay was now out of after so many battles with so many injured people. And then there were those who had lived long enough to make it to the med bay but hadn't made it even with the best medical treatment available. For all their shiny equipment they still weren't anywhere near achieving immortality, it seemed.

By the time they disconnected Regina was far too distracted to even ask about going to see Mal and Emma. The knowledge that they were stable had been enough to calm her brain enough to let her deal with the fact that there were a new batch of men that she had to write death reports for, more letters to the parents and families of the soldiers that would always ring false to them when she said she was sorry for their loss.

She had worked as long as she could but her eyes had started to drift shut after eighteen hours or so and so she had finally handed off the command to Nova. She had gotten through most of the important work anyway. The ship was on its way to running normally once more. As normally as a war torn ship could run, anyway.

Regina had been asleep for maybe two hours when a knock came from her door. Her eyes blinked open slowly and she briefly considered killing whoever was outside her door. But immediately she brushed that thought away. If someone was knocking on her door it was obviously important because everyone knew that she had just handed off the command. Regina rubbed her face as she stood up and walked towards the door thinking of what could have possibly gone wrong in two hours' time. She couldn't handle another war.

She pressed the button to open her door and it slid silently away to reveal someone Regina hadn't expected to see. Emma Swan was there smiling at her sheepishly.

"Uh, hi, Regina," she said.

Regina blinked then pinched herself. She had to make sure she wasn't actually dreaming. When the pain registered she pulled in a sharp breath. Not a dream then. Which meant that Emma Swan was actually fucking stupid enough to walk out of the med bay a day after she had been severely injured.

"What are you doing out of the med bay?" Regina put on her best glare though she wasn't sure how effective it would be when she was still in her sleepwear with bed head.

"The doc cleared me again as long as I came in for daily checks for the next three days. That green goo does wonders." She shrugged.

Regina's hand darted forward and she grabbed the front of Emma's shirt and pulled her forward. A second later Emma was inside her quarters and the door shut behind them. She flicked on the light, revealing a stunned Emma not sure what in the world was going on with Regina.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Regina said, voice cold, glare still in place. Emma was in front of her, apparently fine enough for Tamara to let her out of the med bay. And that meant all the righteous anger that Regina had been holding at bay was crashing down on her now because all the worry that had been helping to block it was gone.

Emma scowled. "I was thinking that that was the only way that we were going to actually win was if I went out with Mal. There was no fucking way I could teach her what she needed to know, I told you that. I took years' worth of classes just to understand what I had to do. I couldn't exactly just funnel all the knowledge into Mal's brain."

"It was direct order from me, your Captain, unless you have forgotten my word is supreme and final. You can't just go off all willy-nilly like that and do what you want. That's not how the Directive works, that's not how anything works, Swan!"

"Again with the Swan?" Emma rolled her eyes.

"Yes, again with the Swan. You lost the privilege of Emma when you hopped on the back of a space dragon with a fucking EMP bomb!" Regina wanted to reach out and strangle the woman, but at the same time that would negate all the relief she felt at Emma being alive if she killed the woman instead.

"Well, sorry for saving us." She shrugged. "I mean you can't argue with the results. Yeah, it was against your direct orders, and I'll take whatever punishment you want to deal out for that, but you weren't thinking clearly. Both Mal and I agreed that you weren't."

"I was thinking perfectly clearly." Regina stepped forward so her chest was pressed against Emma's. She wanted to make sure that Emma got this point loudly and clearly. "I wanted to make sure that the eventuality where I watched you die out the view screen. Instead I saw that happen right before my very eyes because your idiotic self disobeyed my orders."

Emma flinched at that. "But I'm not dead, Regina. I'm right here in front of you."

"But for the grace of god you are, Emma." Her fist clenched at her side. Couldn't the woman see just how fucking stupid she had been? There had to have been another way before, but no, she had to put herself in the middle of the battle like some sort of hero. "But if you had listened to me then you would have never come that close to dying. Didn't you realize that you had just almost died the week before? What the fuck were you thinking? Anyone else who wasn't so fucking stubborn at staying alive would have been a goner." She pressed closer again and Emma took half a step back, but Regina didn't let that stop her. She was going to make Emma understand how fucking hopeless she had been in the minutes between watching the mothership blow and when they had called her to deal with Mal.

"Regina, like I said, I'm alive and I'll take the punishment for disobeying your orders. I remember you being particularly fond of making people scrub toilets. I'm sure there are a great many that needed cleaned now that almost everyone has been focused on other things."

She didn't get it yet. How could such a smart woman be so fucking dumb? "Emma, you don't understand. Get it through your thick head. You have no idea what I felt watching you literally be blown from the face of the universe. Do you know what it's like thinking that someone you care about died while you watched and you could have done something to stop them?" Tears pricked at the sides of her eyes but she was far too stubborn to shed them.

"Regina," Emma said, about to go on but Regina cut her off before she could get another word out.

"No, Emma, you don't get to talk right now. You don't get to do anything but listen because those minutes were some of the worst of my life and you just don't seem to understand that your actions were what caused that. The Directive tells us that if a superior gives us orders then we get them done in whatever way possible. I told you to tell Mal how to set off the bomb, but you didn't even try to do that did you? I was prepared to lose my best friend, but I was not prepared to lose you, but I lost both of you for those minutes. Do you understand that? Do you!"

Her chest heaved and she couldn't remember ever feeling this breathless, not even the summer where she had slipped under the waves at the beach and had almost drowned. She had been terrified then, but she had been more terrified to see Emma flying out on Mal's back.

Again Emma tried to speak but Regina wouldn't let her.

"I don't think you do because otherwise you wouldn't have done that. I do not give orders for no reason. I was not being unreasonable. I knew what I could stand to lose and still function and I acted accordingly, but then you threw a fucking wrench in that and I—" she shrieked quietly, losing the ability to speak for just a second. She was so angry. "Emma Swan I swear if you ever do something like that again I will send you out one of the vacuum tubes myself. At least then I'll know you're—"

Regina's words stopped but only because she physically couldn't speak anymore. Emma's lips were on hers, kissing her, shutting her up in perhaps the most efficient way possible considering how close they had been before. Regina froze for just a second, wondering what the hell was happening. But then Emma's lips were moving on top of hers and Regina was lost in the contact. She started to kiss back without consciously deciding to and it was wonderful.

They drew back a minute later and Emma looked away, blushing hard, expression the picture of sheepishness. And everything clicked together for Regina. All of those things that she had been pushing to the back of her mind, all those comparisons to Daniel that she had made, they all made complete and perfect sense. What she had not been ready to admit to herself now seemed stupidly obvious. Sometime in the last few weeks she had started to develop feelings for Emma Swan. They were new and fragile and who knew if they would last, but they were there.

"Sorry," Emma said, stepping back. "I just didn't know how else to get you to listen. I, um, know that was totally inappropriate, but I'll accept whatever punishment for that too. Except for maybe throwing me out of the airlock I think that might be a bit mu—"

Regina cut her off this time, kissing her, a smile on her lips. Turnabout was fair play after all. She pulled back after only a second to find a stunned Emma.

"There's no need to worry, Emma. It was welcome. A surprise, certainly, but welcome." She paused a second. "For you as well?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, um, uh, yeah definitely I'm…" She shook her head.

Regina laughed. "And to believe there was once a time when I would have paid great money to render you speechless."

She stepped back from Emma. "But now it is the middle of the night and I have just gone to sleep and you rudely woke me up, no matter how…satisfying the end was, I'm still exhausted. I just fought a battle, you know."

Emma snorted. "Yes, your majesty, I'm well aware. If you remember I was there in the thick of it."

That sobered them up for a second.

"Go rest, Emma. Even if Tamara has said you're good to go it can't hurt."

Emma nodded. "Okay, but meet me for breakfast?"

"I can do that."

A knock came at the door. Regina scowled at it. Unless it was Henry at her door the intrusion was going to be much less welcome. She hit the button to open the door and Nova was standing there, looking restless.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Regina arched an eyebrow as Emma came to stand right behind her, listening in.

"We need you back on the bridge, Captain. We're close enough to Rexicor Fal and the repair station there that we messaged them ahead to make sure they knew we were coming and had everything that we needed prepared. Except, they informed us that our ship was reported destroyed two weeks ago. I assured them that we were not destroyed and gave them the paperwork that proved that we are indeed the Rocinate, but something isn't right."

Regina looked back at Emma. She had wondered if their call for backup had been blocked because of the AI or on the part of the Directive, but this, this stunk of the Directive. Only they could deem a ship destroyed.

"Well, Officer Swan, you've been healed. What do you say to another mystery to solve?" The corners of Regina's mouth turned up in a barely there smirk. "I think a fitting punishment for that insubordination is being a gopher for the bridge, don't you?"

Emma looked like a fish gasping for air. She had totally thought that Regina was just going to let her off because she was romantically interested in her. Oh, as if anything between them would be that easy.

She turned back to Nova. "Go on ahead, I will be there as soon as I change into my uniform."

Nova nodded and walked off.

Regina herself walked into her room and started to change. Emma took the chivalrous root and faced away while she did so.

"Are you worried?" She asked, facing the wall while Regina slid on her uniform.

"Not overly so just yet. But Admiral Issacs and I have always had a…contentious relationship. It is not outside the realm of possibility."

She finished dressing and grabbed Emma's shoulder gently and turned her around.

"So what are we going to do?" Emma asked, not looking worried, but curious.

"Go on another adventure, I suppose." Regina shrugged and headed for the door. "Are you coming Swan?"

"Of fucking course."

Regina smiled and walked out into the hall. She had started out this mission just looking for something quiet, something uneventful, but perhaps she hadn't been searching for, one good woman, well, that had been what she needed, and maybe would need for the foreseeable future. Only time could really tell.

Emma caught up with her a second later and they walked down the hall towards the bridge. She slipped her hand into Regina's for just a second and squeezed before dropping it again, face pinker than normal.

"So how many days will you need to repair all the fighters this time?" Regina asked.

Emma groaned. "Don't even talk to me about that. It's going to take forever. I mean first there's the ones we didn't fix the last time…"

They continued to walk down the hall towards the bridge.


End file.
